DMV Dining

When one thinks of Hawaiian pizza, ham and pineapple typically come to mind. But rest assured, Flatbread Company brings their own slice of authenticity to the island of Maui. In fact, it very well might be the best pizza on the island.

After a long day of driving the Road to Hana, we were downright exhausted. Having driven all the way to the Seven Sacred Pools, we headed back to town around 3:30pm. By the time we reached Paia, we were starving and looking for a casual place to eat. Flatbread Company fit the bill: pizza, beer, and plenty of seating.

I actually had no idea that Flatbread was a miniature chain as the restaurant has nine locations, all of which are located in New England for the exception of their Maui outpost. The company touts the use of local, organic ingredients and bakes their pizzas in a wood-fire, clay oven grill.

We started the meal off with their organic house salad as well as some local beer brewed by Maui Brewing Co. I had the Bikini Blonde Lager while Rachel got the CoCoNut Porter. Meanwhile the salad featured mesclun and sweet leaf lettuces from Kula, green papaya and carrots from Hale Akua, toasted sesame seeds, arame seaweed, and homemade pineapple vinaigrette.

As for the pizzas, we were torn on what to get considering our patented indecisiveness, but thankfully Flatbread Company has a solution for that: they will let you split your order so you can enjoy two varieties on one pie. Problem solved!

We decided on the Mopsy’s Kalua Pork which featured smoked free-range pork shoulder, pineapple, red onions, goat cheese, mozzarella, parmesan, and mango BBQ sauce. It was exceptional to say the least. The smoked pork was tender while the tangy sauce perfectly complemented the rest of the ingredients, giving the flatbread a nice twist on traditional Hawaiian pizza.

The other half was the Pa’ia Bay Ohana and was topped with caramelized onions, mushrooms, mozzarella, parmesan, and tomato sauce. This half resembled more of a traditional pizza in respect to its components, but the quality was of a higher caliber given the quality of the local ingredients.

Oh, and let’s not forget about the crust. Its thin, crispy texture practically transported me back to the east coast. Sliced into long pieces, it proved difficult to stop reaching for another slice. I really enjoyed both, but the pork/BBQ sauce combo made the Mopsy’s pie the clear winner in my eyes.

Overall, we had a great time at Flatbread Company. Our waitress was very helpful when we were deciding what to order and possessed that contagious, laid-back attitude that is so prominent in Hawaii. If Paia wasn’t so far from our hotel in Kaanapali, we would have come back at least a few more times. Next time we travel to New England, a stop at Flatbread Co. is a must.

While Casa Nonna has been open for a little over a year, we made our first visit to the Southern Italian restaurant just last weekend.

After some cocktails and appetizers at nearby Vento, we ventured over to the restaurant around 8:30pm and had no problems procuring a table for four. I was kind of surprised we were seated so soon given that it was a Friday evening and footsteps from the Dupont Metro, but then again, the space is huge as it used to hold a California Pizza Kitchen.

Our waiter soon came over and dropped off a basket of cheesy flatbread while we glanced over the menu. It’s a shame we had not dined at Casa Nonna during their initial family-style format (which was scraped just months later) just to compare and contrast their current a la carte offering.

Offering a selection of antipasti, homemade pastas, Neapolitan pizzas, as well as chicken, beef, and seafood entrees, one has plenty to choose from. In fact, it was almost daunting at times as they offered a multitude of items under each category. Our waiter had mentioned that they were debuting their new fall menu that day, so we couldn’t wait to try out some of their recommended dishes.

We decided to start off the evening by sharing a plate of their braised miniature meatballs. Sitting in a bowl of rich tomato sauce, the meatballs, which were comprised of beef, veal, and pork, were rather good. I’m still partial to the ones found at Olazzo, but given that the bowl was wiped clean in a matter of minutes, our table didn’t have any qualms with these.

As for our entrees, I ordered the Bigoli Con Vongole e Salsiccia. The housemade bigoli, otherwise knows as “fat spaghetti”, was served with cockle clams, crumbled sausage, and hot pepper. Blended with garlic, olive oil, and salt and pepper, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I did feel, however, that the portion was just slightly undersized for the price ($21). That’s not to say there wasn’t a fair share of clams included, but it wouldn’t have hurt to include a little more pasta and sausage to the dish.

Rachel got the pumpkin gnocchi with sage butter and shaved parmesan. These dumplings were so rich with pumpkin flavor that they, as Rob Lowe’s character would say on Parks and Recreation, literally melted in your mouth. It was delicious and tasted so decadent that she couldn’t finish it all, and I certainly enjoyed whatever bites I had as well.

We were too full for dessert, but our friends Mike and Randi decided to order a cannoli to-go. When the waiter came back with the container, packed inside were not one but three mini cannolis! They insisted we take one, and since I’m one to never turn down food, we obliged.

Drizzled with chocolate sauce, the dessert featured a touch of pistachio which was different than your typical Italian cannoli. Not to bring up Olazzo a second time, but Casa Nonna’s were just all right.

Overall, we had a very pleasant experience at Casa Nonna. I think the two of us felt it was slightly overpriced for what you received, but at least all of their plates feature homemade pasta. The pizza appears to be a better value given the size, but I’m still kicking myself for missing out on their Monday night endless spaghetti and meatball promotion (which was discontinued earlier this year). That would have been trouble.

We knew that the one thing we had to try in Hawaii was shave ice. As we generally do when visiting somewhere new, the first thing we did was research TripAdvisor and Yelp to find tips on where to eat in Maui. To our surprise, the top ranking for the island wasn’t a fancy restaurant like Mama’s Fish House, but rather Ululani’s Shave Ice. Considering the number of shave ice establishments in Maui, we knew we had to check them out for ourselves.

If you are not familiar with shave ice, it is literally what it sounds like:  ice that is shaved from a block and then topped with flavored syrup. What makes it a completely decadent treat is when the ice is topped over a scoop of ice cream.

Ululani’s says it stands out by using pure cane sugar, purified filtered water, and flavors made from premium purees or extracts. They have countless flavors to choose from as well as several interesting toppings that range from homemade Azuki beans to fresh Mochi balls.

Needless to say, we were fairly overwhelmed by our choices and decided to go with a set combination of red velvet, root beer, and vanilla topped with a “snow cap”, all over a scoop of macadamia nut ice cream. A snow cap is a sweet cream mixture which makes the flavors meld together, and all in all, it was heavenly. We were fairly full from dinner so we ordered a mini size, which was perfect as it was still a substantial portion in our eyes.

From that point on, we definitely weren’t sure if any shave ice place could top Ululani’s. Not only was it excellent, but the staff was extremely helpful and friendly. The only one that was even comparable was the Wishing Well Shave Ice truck in Kauai, but we know we only scratched the surface in terms of shave ice delicacies throughout the islands of Hawaii.

Not only was it just a year ago that DMV Dining launched, but around the same time, OpenTable debuted Spotlight, their Groupon-like website. Their very first offer was for Charlie Palmer Steak, and naturally we took the bait.

Needless to say, Charlie Palmer was (in our assessment) Spotlight’s most enticing offer since they launched, as the restaurants since then have not quite matched the caliber of the Capitol Hill steakhouse.

Anyway, we nearly forgot about the certificate until we realized it was about to expire in a couple of weeks. On a related note, we really need to create a Google Calendar for our soon-to-expire Groupons…

We were able to book a reservation for Friday evening, and wouldn’t you know it, the restaurant offers free corkage on Fridays! This was purely coincidental when we originally booked our table, but upon finding out the news, we brought along a bottle of King Estate’s Acrobat Pinot Noir.

When we were seated, the waitress poured two glasses of the wine we brought and soon returned with an amuse bouche of rock shrimp ceviche. It provided some excellent flavor for such a small bite and was a nice way to start off our evening.

For our entrees, we kept it rather simple: we both ordered the European cut filet, Rachel opting for the petite size while I went for the standard portion (surprise, surprise). The quality of the meat was exceptional as it was evenly cooked and deliciously succulent. Not to throw Grapeseed under the bus, but the difference was night and day between the two restaurant’s steaks.

Following the advice of EatMore DrinkMore’s Jenna, we ordered the Parmesan gnocchi as one of our sides. Folks, this could have been a meal in itself. For eight dollars, we had more than enough pasta to share between the two of us. Oh, and it was really, really good. It was such a clever way to complement the filet rather than serve it with your typical baked potato or order of fries (though the ones at Charlie Palmer did look delectable).

We also ordered a side of wild mushrooms and onions which we both really enjoyed. Nothing really to write about here, but the garlic nicely supplemented the filet.

We didn’t wind up ordering dessert as we were both so full from our meal, but then the waitress brought over a small assortment of bite-sized treats which included peanut brittle and chocolate truffles. Unsurprisingly, they were gone within seconds.

Overall, we both really enjoyed Charlie Palmer. Our waitress was very friendly, topping off our wine glasses the moment they were no more than a third full. Meanwhile, the food was fantastic. I was very impressed by not only the cuts of the filet, but also by the superb gnocchi. It’s been awhile since I’ve been to Ray’s the Classics, but Charlie Palmer is right up there as one of my favorite steakhouses in the DMV.

During our travels in Kansas City, we didn’t just partake in barbecue. Shocking as it may seem, we put the ribs and brisket down for a day and instead went out for brunch.

Bluestem, located in the vibrant Westport neighborhood, is one of Kansas City’s top dining destinations. Similar to CityZen, Bluestem offers a prix fixe menu where diners have their choice of three, five or ten course dinners that range from $60 to $100.

On Sundays, however, Bluestem also offers an a la carte brunch that is very reasonable, and as we experienced, very delightful.

We started our morning off with an order of mimosas while looking over the menu. Being in Kansas City, I had to continue my infatuation with all things beef, so naturally I ordered the Wagyu corned beef hash. Rachel, opting instead for a slightly healthier meal, ordered the omelet of the day.

The corned beef hash was served with a thick, spicy tomato sauce along with a pair of sunny side up eggs. Between that and the tender, flavorful chunks of corned beef, I was in heaven. I love when corned beef hash has a kick to it as it gave a certain life to the dish as opposed to other places where it’s just missing something. This had all the elements I was looking for and I loved every bite.

As soon as Rachel heard the description of the omelet of the day, she knew she had to order it. Filled with heirloom tomatoes, basil, oyster mushrooms, and goat cheese, it was light and airy as she savored each forkful. The roasted potatoes and side salad rounded out the dish.

Overall, Bluestem is a gem and should not be missed if you are looking for an excellent brunch spot. Given how great our meal was, we might have to splurge for dinner next time we are in town.