Hurrican hubbub

What a lame hurricane – for us at least. I want to be specific about that.  For us, 30+ miles from the coast, the impending doom forecasted for days ahead of Irene’s arrival was absolute drummed up garbage.  I know that many people closer to the coast felt the lashings of this tropical menace much more so than we, and this post it not intended to marginalize their suffering. My heart goes out to the families who lost property and possessions and most of all, to the families who lost loved ones.  Mother Nature can be cruel and no one deserves to feel her wrath.

Now let me tell you about those of us who didn’t suffer.  As a dear friend of mine would say, this is a “hot air” post. So bear with me while I vent my spleen about Hurricane coverage.  What a load. For days preceding the arrival of Irene every weather man from here to the West Coast and back howled about the coming storm like it might bring a rain of frogs with it. But I figured best to be prepared.  And I still feel that way.

We have city water. It would take a full power outage at the water treatment plant and no back-up power for us to find ourselves without water. But to be safe, I bought a couple of flats at Target thinking that if we didn’t need them we could take them to the office. Power was a greater concern.  While we’ve never lost power in our house, something that happened every third weekend in our condo, we didn’t know what to expect. But we snagged a couple of extra camping lanterns and batteries for our flashlights just in case.  The day before we pulled in everything we could from our deck.  The table and chairs, the plants, they all came into the kitchen to ride out the storm.  The grill, the stainless steel behemoth that it is, could not be removed, so it was covered and pushed up against the house.  We did the same in the front, pulling into the garage anything that could become a flying projectile should the wind predicted come to fruition.

Saturday morning it started to rain. The kind of ceaseless, soaking rain that sinks the world into a torpor, the kind it takes days to shake off.  And the rain kept on into Saturday night.  But by now the storm coverage had gotten ridiculous, notes of hysteria in the voices of the on-the-ground hurricane teams.   We went to bed knowing that Irene would make landfall in the wee hours of Sunday morning, and wondered aloud if we would have power when we awoke.  

And then next to nothing happened. This storm, heralded as the worst thing to hit the east coast in years, downed a few small tree branches in our neighborhood. The eight inches of snow we got last winter did more lasting damage, splitting trees in two with its weight.  Irene’s rains did soaked everything, leaving standing water in the cul-de-sacs and at the bottom of hills. Our grill moved three inches away from the deck rail.  I remember being woken only once, by the sound of a cracking tree branch.  If there was howling wind as was reported, it howled elsewhere, because neither B nor I, who sleep fitfully and wake easily, ever heard a thing. 

So if anyone is in the market for bottled water or camping lanterns, I have a few extras sitting in the basement waiting for the next time the weather man goes gonzo.  Not that I wish we had been hit by a real hurricane. Like I said, Mother Nature can be cruel. But I do wish that someone would tell the weather reporters that fear-mongering is as cruel.  And that the gross exaggeration that is the hallmark of hurricane coverage for all but those closest to the coast (again, there were many within a few miles of the coast that felt a battering we didn’t), is the reason why many people choose not to evacuate and why, when, the one time in 100 that their predictions come true, there are still people in their homes who cannot weather the storm. Thanks a lot weather jerks.

Blue might just be my favorite color

The last weekend of August, N's parents (my surrogate parents), E and D, came down for a visit. 

The joke has been for some time now, that N’s mom is the harbinger of bad weather.  Two winters ago, she visited only to find herself snowed in with the rest of us during what became referred to as “Snowpacolypse.”  The following summer her visit punctuated an 18-day heat wave during which temperatures soared above 110 every day.  And now, her visit, along with her husband, began as the Washington DC metro area braced for the onslaught of Hurricane Irene, predicted to make landfall as a Category 2 hurricane and the first the DC area had seen since 2002.

But as with her other visits, we did not allow the impending weather to dissuade us from our pursuits.  In this case, that pursuit was of Maryland blue crab at Quarterdeck in Arlington, VA.  While Maryland blue crabs are easy to come by in the Chesapeake Bay area, finding a fresh crab place in Arlington is not as easy.  As a result, Quarterdeck gets crowded as throngs of people come every night to order, crack and eat dozens of the Maryland delicacy. We joined the throngs a little ahead of the game since N had made a reservation. Seated inside at a table covered in brown paper, we ordered two dozens crabs for our table of six and then settled in to chat for the 20 minutes we’d have to wait for our bright orange crustacean meal.   

While we waited we opened the gifts generously brought to us by N’s parents.  M, B and I had each arrived to find colorful gift bags in our chairs.  Cracking into ours, B and I were thrilled to find an apron each.  While the aprons themselves matched, the print on each was clearly selected to match our personalities as much as our cooking.  We loved them!

My apron, clearly selected to represent my Mediteranean roots

 B's apron, chosen to compliment his winning personality ;-)

By the time we’d opened our gifts, we had just a few minutes to chat before our crabs arrived.  Heaped onto the table waiting for us, they were steaming and incredible.  It took a lot of self-restraint not to grab hold of one immediately. But those shells will burn your hands when they’re hot. 

 Our pile of Maryland blue crabs

Finally, they were cool enough to touch and we wasted no time getting down to business.  For anyone who’s never eaten whole crabs, these suckers are a lot of work.  You have to pull off the breastplate, scrape away the lungs (yuck) and, if you’re most people, scrap away the “mustard” that fills in the gaps in the crab’s body.  Strictly speaking, this “mustard” is edible, but it has a strong taste and few people like it.  Once that’s done, you can start scooping out the pockets of sweet crab meat all along the sides.  The legs also contain meat, but depending on the size of the crab some people forgo them as they are sometimes more work than they are worth.  Having ordered medium crabs (no large available that night), the legs were large enough to eat and filled with the same sweet meat you come to expect inside the crab cavity.  

We spent nearly an hour cracking and eating crab, each breaking down around 4 per person.  Breaking down crabs is messy business too.  Since B and I had each come right from work, we used extra caution to avoid spraying crab bits all over ourselves.  To no avail, both my skirt and his pants had to be taken to the dry cleaner the next day.  But was it worth it! We got a great chance to catch up with some of the people I love most in the world all while enjoying a tremendous meal, unique to the area in which we live.  Life doesn’t get much better.

 E, N and D at dinner – love N’s face

Eventually, we surrendered, having not left a single crab on the table.  We knew we’d soon have to pack it in and get home (or to the grocery store) to prepare for the coming storm.  As we were leaving the restaurant, my Dad, worried about the inclement weather texted to make sure we were ready and okay.  It was easy to reply that yes, we had what we needed and besides, my surrogate parents were here, so everything would be alright.

Summer veggie bake

Sunday mornings are a welcome respite in our house, spent with online newspapers, coffee and comfortable silence.  It’s the kind of Sunday morning ritual that is comforting in its sameness and a delightful reprieve from the fast pace we keep Monday through Saturday.  Once in a while, when the newspapers have little to offer, we allow our Sunday morning solace to be broken by the FoodNetwork or HGTV.  During one of those Sundays, I watched Sunny Anderson make this easy  vegetable side and decided to give it a try.  As usual, I tweaked the recipe for what worked best for me.  Specifically, I doubled the olive oil to ensure that all the bread crumbs were tossed thoroughly to avoid burning in the oven.  And while I didn’t measure exactly, I was likley a little heavy handed on the parmesan too.  The result was a solid side to be served with any protein.

For the base:

1 teaspoon olive oil

1/2 pound zucchini (about one medium), sliced ¼ inch thick

1/2 pound yellow squash (about one medium), sliced ¼ inch thick

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the topping:

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

8 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves stripped from the stem, lightly chopped

1-2 tablespoons olive oil

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Brush 1 teaspoon olive oil on the bottom of an 8 by 8-inch baking dish. Arrange the slices of zucchini and yellow squash in the dish with an overlapping pattern in rows or a spiral in a pie dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

The zucchini and yellow squash, awaiting their topping

To make the topping: In a bowl, stir together the panko, thyme, Parmesan cheese and season with a sprinkle of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Add 1 to 2 tablespoon olive oil and stir until all the breadcrumbs are soaked with the yellow tint of the oil. Sprinkle the topping evenly over the dish and bake until the top is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes.

Topped and ready for the oven

Texas tasty

The second week of August brought more travel, this time to the Rio Grande Valley, the southernmost part of Texas and usually one of my least favorite places to visit. My preference for, well, anywhere else, comes from the fact that for about six months of every year this place is hotter than the lobby of hell. Yes, I travel to lots of hot places since my work takes me all over the American Southwest. But there is nothing like the perfect storm of humidity and heat found in this southernmost part of the United States. Couple this with the fact that we stay quite close to the U.S.-Mexico border, which means that safety is always a consideration, and you find me wishing for the garden spots that are San Diego or Orange County. I’d take Indianapolis or Dallas as improvements even.

But like it or not, I had to go. The work we had going on was critical to the success of our program. And I had my comms team traveling with me. These are phenomenal people, who, in addition to wowing me all the time with their commitment to the mission and work, are a blast! Oh, and they dig food the same way I do. Score!

The Rio Grande Valley is not rife with fine dining establishments, but there are a couple of things they do and do well – barbeque and tex-mex. We dug into plenty of both in the four days we were there.

Our first afternoon we needed to do a short lunch and get quickly back to work. With some help from some local contacts, we chose Rudy’s. This walk-up BBQ place makes their own turkey, sausage, brisket, you name it, every morning. It may be quick and easy, but there’s no shortage of flavor. Since Rudy’s is actually a small Texas chain, I’ve been to the one in El Paso a couple of times and I know I love their brisket. I prefer to try new things when repeating a restaurant, but I got stuck managing an issue on the phone while waiting in line so when I got up to the window I started to order what I knew. I scarcely got the words, “brisket sandwich” from my mouth, when one of my traveling cohorts in crime nearly squeals, “No, you have to get the turkey – it’s amazing – try it!!” Hanging up the phone, I begged the guy behind the counter for a sample of this “amazing” turkey. Wow! Not disappointed. The best, most tender and moist turkey I’ve ever had with an intense smoky flavor that made it BBQy and not Thanksgivingy.

By the time all of us had ordered, and there were nearly a dozen of us, there were meat sandwiches of every variety being consumed around picnic style tables. The same coworker who had talked me into the turkey had also ordered a house-made jalapeno sausage. Listening to the love affair she was having with it, I had to try it too and stole a bite. Wow, again! For a place that let’s you get in and out with a big group for under $12 per person, this place skimps on nothing. Great first lunch and culinary start to our trip.

Our work, which involved public meetings in the evenings, found us eating dinner on the fly, sucking down whatever takeout was close by and easy. So it wasn’t until lunch on Tuesday that we found our way back to another blog-quality food stop. While we still hadn’t had a chance to chow down on some local tex-mex, our location was prime to try Fat Daddy’s, another homestyle BBQ place.

A shot of the menu. It’s a good thing it’s lamenated, there’s a lot of

BBQ sauce floating around this place.

Let me start by saying that what I ate at this restaurant could not have been undone by my run that morning or the following, but it was worth every bite. Again, we came in with a large group of about 15. We crammed ourselves around two picnic style tables in one corner of the tin-roofed restaurant. The menu is huge. Nearly everything is made with some variety of slow-roasted or BBQed meat, again, all made in-house. On top of the menu, they had daily specials - specials that we couldn’t resist. Several of us ordered the chicken fried chicken. Served with mashed potatoes, a side salad and more homemade chicken gravy than you could ever dream of, it was amazing. This place is also known for their enormous burgers. Since no one could choose just one thing, there was a lot of sharing happening around the table.

 

Mmm. Chicken fried chicken. Try not to think about just how bad this was for me.

The larger than life burger.

It was truly miraculous that anyone could stand up when we were done, let alone go back to work for the remainder of the afternoon.

We managed to keep ourselves very busy from our enormous lunch well into the evening. We finally finished up with our work at about 830. By this time, even we were starting to get hungry again and since both our major initiatives for the week had gone very well, everyone was in the mood to celebrate. One of the local leadership suggested that we try out Costa Messa, a local tex-mex spot in McAllen. So it was agreed.

We descended on this place with a group of 20 at nearly 9PM on a Tuesday. Many small town restaurants would not have been able to accommodate such a group. But through their flexibility, my muddled Spanish (it’s not uncommon to find restaurants in South Texas where few if any staff speak English) and the saving-grace fluent Spanish of another coworker, we got our group set up to enjoy a late dinner.

After the lunch we’d had, a couple of coworkers and I decided that our best bet was to choose two small items and split them between the three of us. It’s a good thing we did, too. We placed our orders expecting to enjoy tacos de cazuela (tacos filled with meat that has been braised in the Spanish version of a dutch oven) and enchiladas de pollo (chicken enchiladas). We did enjoy both dishes tremendously. In fact, the tacos de cazeula were the best, most authentic tacos I’ve had in the U.S. However, as a group of 20, we didn’t count on people ordering appetizers to share with the whole table. But you cannot say no when queso, melted with jalapenos and chorizo, materializes in front of you. Nor is no an option for table-side prepared gaucamole de molcajete. I’m sorry there are no pictures of this delicious fare, I was too tired and preoccupied to remember my camera. But needless to say, we’ll be going back here the next time we’re in the Rio Grande Valley.

It was a productive and delicious trip filled with good food and good company.  In the end, I couldn't even remember my usual list of gripes about traveling to South Texas.  Thanks, Rio Grande Valley, I'll be back!

Luck be a lady with me...

Early in August I was trolling around Goldstar looking at what fun could be had at discount prices.  I was thrilled to find half-price tickets to the Wolftrap production of Guys and Dolls. The Wolftrap Foundation for the Performing Arts puts on some of my favorite summertime activities.  It's primary locale, Filene Center, is an outdoor amphitheater with both Pavilion and lawn seating.  Lawn seats for most performances can be had for $25 or less and it doesn't hurt that it's 10 minutes from our house.  We try to get there at least once every summer, more frequently if possible. Since we hadn't been yet this year, this seemed like the perfect opportunity.  So we scored two tickets and decided to make a date night out of it.

The show was adorable.  Wolftrap doesn't attract the big names in musical theater like the Kennedy Center, but they still put on a solid production.  With four "lead" roles and a number of heavy supporting roles, this really is a company show.  The woman who played Adelaide played up the "dame" quality of her character very well.  Nathan Detroit was the perfect gambler, relishing the underbelly of New York life.  But the standout for me was the guy who played Sky Masterson.  Reading his bio, we found that he'd played Jean Valjean in Les Mis on Broadway.  This role requires a big, rich voice with the simultaneous ability to be sweet and tender.  He brought the same qualities to Sky.  Tender and warm in one moment singing with Miss Sarah and brash and saucy while chastising Lady Luck in "Luck Be a Lady."

I loved the shows rendition of "Luck Be a Lady", probably because it's the version with which I am most familiar.  B, on the other hand, disliked it totally.  He's a fan of the Sinatra version. In the show, Sky scolds Lady Luck for her past misdeeds, while the Old Blue Eyes version sounds more like he's out to seduce her.  Both are exceptional versions of the song, but our preferences were clear from the opening line.

It was a great show.  Solidly cast, funny and charming.  Even the venue was great.  The only downside to our otherwise lovely datenight, was the older gentleman sitting to my left who insisted on signing along the entire first act.  And I think he was a little hard of hearing, because he didn't do it quietly, under his breath. He might as well have been on stage.  Thankfully, there were some empty seats in the same section that we took up to enjoy the second act in blessed silence.

A view of the stage during intermission

Wicked wins!!

Months ago, N and I put together a group to get tickets for Wicked at the Kennedy Center.  Combine the group rate with membership at the KenCen and we were able to get pre-sale tickets that placed us in the Center Orchestra for the show.  Great seats!

This musical, intended as the prequel to The Wizard of Oz, tells the story of how the Wicked Witch of the West came to be.  To keep the story alive for those that haven't seen it, I won't share any more than that on the synopsis.  But if you haven't had the chance to see this fantastic production do it before the opportunity is lost. Catchy songs like "Popular" and "Loathing" played well opposite some genuinely sweet and tender moments like "I'm Not That Girl" and "For Good" leave you riveted to the stage.

And if you're lucky enough to see Dee Roscioli play Elphaba, well, the experience will be complete.  This actress/singer has played the role of Elphaba in more productions than any other, including Idina Menzel who originated the role.  She is wonderful! Her rendition of "Defying Gravity" gave me real, honest to God, chills.   The only tiny flaw in the whole production was the actor who played Fiero.  While I'm sure he is quite talented, he just couldn't keep up with Elphaba and Glinda's soaring vocals making him the blur in what was otherwise a show cast with stunning clarity.

And for my parent friends out there - this is an AWESOME show to get a kids hooked on theater.  I was surrounded by kids ages 5 and up.  Any musical with upbeat music, a good moral and child-appropriate material (do NOT take your kids AVENUE Q, even though it has puppets) are great kid musicals. But by adding in the familiarity of the "Wizard of Oz", this show becomes even more accessible leaving a great opportunity to get your kids started on a love of the arts that will stay with them long into adulthood. I should know, I saw my first musical at age 4 and have never looked back (Thanks, Mom!).
 

Nostos = nostalgia

I'd been hunting for an interesting place to take my family for dinner when they visited and was pleasantly surprised to find Nostos, a new Greek restaurant, a mile from our front door.  Talk about convenient and it turns out, delicious too.

With certain groups of adventurous friends, I don't mind trying new places blindly.  However, my family tends to be a little less adventurous.  That means that before I take them somewhere, I test drive it.  This is especially true of Greek restaurants, as my father is genetically programmed to critique them.  So a couple of weeks before my family came to town, N and I spent a Friday night exploring the menu and trying some of the simple mezze to get a feel for just how well this place does Greek.

Turns out, they do it pretty well.  For our test meal, we ordered kolokithakia, zuccini sliced thin, battered and fried; tiropitakia, individual cheese pies made with kasseri cheese and dill; avgolemono, a simple chicken based soup made with egg, rice and lemon; horiatiki salata, a traditional village salad made with tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, olives and feta, and; Tzatziki, a dipping sauce made with yogurt, cucumber and dill.

Even in this small field there were standouts and small disappointments.  The kolokithakia was perfect. Light and crispy, this mezze made me heartsick for days spent on a Greek beach with my whole extended family.

 The presentation of the kolokithakia was an added benefit for this dish.

Further standouts included the bowl of avgolemono that elegantly balanced the chicken and lemon flavors and the horiatiki, which while quite small for the $9 price, used exceptionally ripe tomatoes and the exact right amount of oregano.

 A good sized block of feta never hurts!

The final two items, the tiropitakia and the tzatziki were a little disappointing for me.  This was not entirely their fault though.  My chief complaint was the amount of dill used in each.  I don't care for it and I've never had to get used to it because my hillbilly people (my family is from Southern Greece) don't cook with it.  The addition of dill in these dishes marks them as from the islands.  Objectively, there was nothing wrong with them. They were well composed and for someone without a dill bias, probably delicious. 

Since our test drive panned out positively, with only personal taste complaints to speak of, I locked in the reservation for my family's visit.  And our evening proved to be as memorable as the one N and I had shared, with some new additions.  For our first course we ordered some of the same mezze N and I had tried before - kolokithakia, horiatiki, avgolemono and tiropitakia.  But we added in some new dishes as well including saganaki, a hard Greek cheese doused in Metaxa (Greek Brandy) and then set aflame table side; a cheese plate that included feta, kasseri and (my favorite!!!) kefalograviera and; haloumi, a mild Cypriot-made goat cheese, gently grilled.  Everything was great and everyone had their favorites.  My brother cannot eat in a Greek restaurant without saganaki, so he was thrilled.  Kefalograviera cheese is VERY hard to find in the US.  So my dad and I both ate far too much of it far too fast, but it was SO good!! And finally, to my surprise, my father had never tried haloumi, which he also came to love.

Everyone was getting full by the time the main course arrived.  Knowing that will always be the case for me, I chose nothing by a bowl of avgolemono as my entree.  My dad, brother and B all choose the arni youvetsi, a lamb shank braised in tomato sauce and wine, served over orzo pasta.

 Arni Youvetsi

According to all three, it was delicious. The meat was fall off the bone tender. But B also added that while it was good, it was no better than mine.  Yay!!!  This is a hillbilly Greek dish that I make at home a few times a year and apparently I do it well.  Not that I didn't love him already, but compliments like that never hurt!

My mom, who inspite of nearly 40 years of Greek affiliation, has never developed a taste for lamb.  She chose a chicken dish, kotopoulo skaras, a simple grilled, marinated chicken breast served with oven roasted potatoes and fasolakia, green beans with garlic and tomato sauce.

Chicken always makes me nervous in restaurants since it is so easy to dry out, but she said it was extremely juicy and well prepared.

By the time we were done with mains, everyone was too full for dessert.  But with risogalo on the menu, a rice pudding made thick and delicious, we had to at least take some home. When we cracked into it the next day (at breakfast, ha!), it was the BEST part of the meal. Creamy and thick and just sweet enough!

All in all, I've had two great experiences with this place and would go back or take friends back again!

Birthday bliss - Part 2

Content with waking up as a 30 year old, I hauled myself into work on Monday morning.  The day started out like any other, with more work to do than there are hours in the day.  When I finally finished my morning catch up with my boss and made it into my office, I found a sweet birthday surprise from the same boss in my chair.  At 830 AM, another team member came in with the most stunning lillies (which she knows are my favorite) as a happy birthday surprise.

These lovely flowers lasted more than a week!

At 845AM, yet another team member came in to get my muffin order for the birthday muffins she had brought. I couldn't say no to a blueberry!

The note in the corner is my favorite part, it reads, 

"...free treats for everyone, just need to tell Ntina happy b-day!"

By this point, I was already completely in awe of the tremendous generosity and kindness of my co-workers, they are amazing!

At 900 AM, I left my office for a meeting.  At 930 AM I came back to my office to find this...

And this...

And this...

And this...

And finally, the piece de resistance...

A, in a fit of exceptional sneakiness, had smuggled these fabulous geriatric supplies in right under my nose (we carpool).  Shows how wide awake I am on Monday mornings.  

The whole thing was hilarious! People stopped by my office all day to see the fabulous mess, try to weave their way through the streamers like spies navigating laser beams, or just to point and laugh.  I think it was as much fun for me as for the half a dozen or so "decorators" responsible!

And again, I was touched at how thoughtful (in the best warped way) and incredible our team is and how unbelievably lucky I am to get to spend every day with these people.

But the surprises kept coming.  At about 1230, A came into my incredibly decorated office to inform me that my "lunch had arrived."  Walking into the conference room, I discovered a dozen carryout containers from none other than Central, Michel Richard of Citronelle fame's downtown American brasserie.  We've been talking for many weeks about getting a group together to carry out the famous fried chicken from this local hotspot.  But a couple of awesome ringleaders decided a birthday celebration was a perfect excuse and got about 2/3 of the office to go in on it with them.  Our interns even played a part, making the food pick-up for all!

Take out containers, being readied for total annihilation

The BEST fried chicken. Ever. In the world. Hands down. 

Rumor has it, each piece is dipped in a mousse of some kind before being breaded and fried. Another coworker had brought in homemade chile con queso and chips to share with the office in celebration.  We added this delicious side to our chicken lunch and the eating commenced. 

For those of you playing the home game, it's now 100PM in the office and I've had a muffin, fried chicken  and mashed potatoes, chile con queso and half a bag of Garrett's popcorn another co-worker snagged for me in Chicago because he knows I love it!  I was so full I announced during lunch that if anyone needed me I'd be sleeping under my desk for the duration of the afternoon.  Then Melissa brought out this gorgeous cake.  

Sadly for me, I was so stuffed that I only had a few bites of the cake. But like everything else that day, it was excellent.

But by this point in the day, I was at a total loss on how to best express my gratitude to nearly every single person with whom I work.  I made a point to say thank you to everyone, but I can't help but think a simple thank you is just not enough to capture my overwhelming gratitude.  Every day, I am humbled by the brilliance, wittiness, hilarity, and absolute unbelievable heart these people bring to the work they do.  I am absolutely thrilled to share my world with them, every weekday 8-5. Thank you, thank you, thank you all!