Hubby and I have discovered a new favorite family outing: food-themed walking tours. He went on one in NYC as part of his bachelor party, and last weekend we took a stroll through Old Town Alexandria, VA. There is a lot of history in Alexandria--we learned about the city's founding before the Revolutionary War and saw the spot where George Washington first announced his intention to become President. We also saw the artsy Torpedo Factory and strolled along the Potomac River waterfront. Of course all of that was very exciting...but the
food is what made for a fantastic afternoon.
We started off at
Bilbao Baggins (the tour guide asked if there were any
Lord of the Rings fans in the group; I demurred). My prejudices regarding the name and hobbit-esque decor aside, we enjoyed a yummy portobella mushroom cap stuffed with brie and topped with basil pesto and a sun-dried tomato tapenade as an appetizer here.
Our next stop was the
Union Street Public House. I had been here once years ago for happy hour. It's a renovated colonial warehouse with a true pub feel, complete with dark wood and mirrors everywhere. We had fried oysters--USPH's specialty and what the local sailors would have eaten centuries ago. Though in the olden days they didn't bother frying them, they just ate them fresh on the half shell. The tour guide said that isn't usually a crowd pleaser on today's food tours, but I wouldn't have minded! We also had gazpacho and smoked chicken salad on marbled rye bread. The perfect lunch on a hot summer day.
Then we headed to
Columbia Firehouse, a converted firehouse that is now a trendy, bistro-style eatery. We sat in the bright, glassed-enclosed alleyway, which was an innovative and attractive use of space. The food here was amazing--we had seared diver scallops with couscous risotto, oven-dried tomatoes, and arugula pesto. The couscous risotto was similar to a mac n' cheese. Yum. I am such a sucker for the high-end comfort food movement.
Finally, we ended up at
Old Town Coffee Tea and Spice for some raspberry iced tea and jellycake, the official dessert of Alexandria, which consists of layers of pound cake separated by layers of raspberry preserves and topped with confectioners sugar. Apparently the Queen of England requests jellycake on her visits to the U.S., though it seems straightforward enough to make at home. Quite tasty, regardless. Old Town Coffee Tea and Spice is an eclectic little shop mainly geared to tea/cat lovers, and it resembles a thrift store with piles of mismatched stock (teacups, tea towels, message tees with tea-themed sayings) in addition to tea, coffee, and spices sold by weight.
Armed with such a solid gastronomic foundation, we are looking forward to doing more exploring in Old Town--we've spent surprisingly little time there given its proximity. And we've already booked food tours on some upcoming trips. Here's to eating well!
A wedding over July 4th weekend in Poughkeepsie, NY was the perfect excuse to visit the other CIA--the Culinary Institute of America. Walking around the campus, you could quickly tell that these people were serious about food. The streets were named things like "Thyme Terrace" and there were even flags every few feet declaring that "Food is Life." No argument here. We ate dinner at American Bounty, one of the CIA's three upscale restaurants. The students work as the waitstaff, hostesses, and chefs, and they encourage diners to speak with them about their program and experiences. It was fascinating learning about the business side of menu development and the sorts of things that students need to be familiar with, such as wine pairing. The food itself was definitely the highlight. We had crab cakes and pork bellies as our appetizers, main courses were rabbit (mine--slightly too salty) and asparagus risotto topped with a poached egg (hubby's--perfect). We finished off with a strawberry shortcake dessert. Everything--from the wine down to the breadbasket--was extremely well thought out. Ah, if only I could re-do my education!
