Sunset in Adams Morgan

I took these photographs using my Blackberry camera. A little pixelated, but I like the cloud formations and how the dusk refracts through them, accenting them with hints of violet.

Spaghetti with Puttanesca Sauce

Tonight, I decided to make Spaghetti with Puttanesca sauce. This is a good dish to make during the middle of winter because you don't need the freshest produce. Canned plum tomatoes work very well with this dish and all of the other major components (garlic, shallots, capers, olives, and crushed red pepper) are available year round and tend to keep a long time in the pantry or refrigerator.

I also had some leftover parsley from another dish I made and decided to chop it up and throw it on top of the dish. In hindsight, the dish would have probably been served better with a flat leaf parsley or fresh basil that had a little more bite and flavor than curly parsley. Regardless, the parsley gave the dish some herbaceousness to counterbalance the brightness of the tomatoes, the tartness of the capers, the salt of the olives, and the heat of the red peppers. I even tossed some freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano on top as well, but actually preferred the spaghetti without it. There is so much going on in the dish as is that the Parmesan clashed with all the other flavors. Otherwise, I thought it was fairly successful (if a bit messy) and would recommend it. Just don't oversauce.

Coq au Vin

In order to celebrate Martin Luther King Day, I decided to make Coq au Vin for the first time. Because of the chill, I have been in a braising mood lately, recently making a pot roast. Since I had some leftover wine and stock from my pot roast, I decided to do another braised dish, and thought I might as well try to class it up with a Gallic classic.

There are few things more satisfying to eat in the middle of winter than a braised meat or poultry dish, especially when it is smothered in buttery mash potatoes. For this dish, I made a fairly straightforward Coq Au Vin (with some modifications...it is hard to find old rooster in the supermarket shelves). The one twist was that I chose to mash sweet potatoes rather than regular potatoes, and threw in a little extra butter for good measure. I just wish I had a blender or strainer in order to make them a little smoother. Flavor wise, I thought my dish was great. Appearance wise....you be the judge.

Rare Cacao Bean Discovered

I came across this article in the New York Times which discusses the discovery of a rare Cacao bean in Peru. There are three types of Cacao beans: Criollo, Forastero, and Trinitario. Criollo, which many consider the "original" cacao bean, is the most highly prized bean and is grown in many places, though it arguably reaches its peak flavor when grown in Venezuela (in particular, a little plantation village called Chuao). Although Criollo is reputed to make the finest chocolates that tends to be mellower and less bitter than other beans, it is low-yield and disease prone. Forastero, another strain of cacao, and the most commonly grown, is far more robust and yields the most cacao beans out of the major types, but produces a bitterer chocolate than Criollo. Trinitario, the last type of cacao, is a hybrid of Criollo and Forastero, which allegedly blends the robustness of Forastero with the flavors of Criollo. Nevertheless, Trinitario tends to get lumped together with Forastero as an "industrial" chocolate, with Criollo being the cacao bean of choice for most artisinal producers of chocolate.

The recently discovered bean is called Nacional, which is a particular breed of Forastero. Probably the most interesting characteristic of this particular bean is that it is genetically 100% Nacional. In contrast, most Criollo beans, even when labeled Criollo, tend to have some strains of other bean types in their genome (the widespread cross-breeding of cacao have even led some to claim that pure Criollo does not exist anymore).

According to the article, this particular bean produces a mellow, low acid, chocolate that lacks the characteristic bitterness of most Forastero chocolates, but also is far more disease prone than most other Forastero breeds. In many ways, it sounds like a Criollo.

Several chocolatiers produce bars made out of this bean, though only one is named in the article. So check out Moonstruck Chocolatier if you want to try it.

Aditi Indian Kitchen - Union Station 1/14/2010

Aditi Indian Kitchen
Union Station Food Court - Lower Level
50 Massachusetts Ave., NE
Washington, DC 20002

I went to the Union Station Food Court today to have lunch with a friend. He wanted to go to Aditi Indian Kitchen, and, not too thrilled with the other options, decided to get food with him. I had been to Aditi Indian Kitchen before, both here and the one in Grand Central in New York (I guess they found a niche serving curries in mass transit hubs), and I find this chain to be consistently one of the better places to eat in the Food Court. Obviously, this isn't Rasika, so don't expect Haute Bengali cuisine, but the food isn't overtly Americanized either. The korma isn't saccharine, the paneer isn't gloopy, the curries have heat, and everything seems generally well prepared. Also, because Indian cuisine often involve stews and braises, it tends to stand up better to the constant low heat of chafing dishes, and thus tends to be a better option when you are in a food court. Of course, I doubt this is quintessentially "Indian" cuisine (they do serve chicken tikka masala...which is to Anglicized Indian Cuisine what General Tso's Chicken is to Americanized Chinese Cuisine), but neither is Rasika, and if you choose to defenestrate ideas of authenticity, you can get a satisfying meal.

Today, I ordered the Chicken Biryani, the Channa Paneer (Chickpeas and Creamed Spinach) and a Chicken Coconut Curry. My friend ordered the same. I was actually caught off guard by the heat and had to take a sip of water to quell it. I am not sure whether this is a symptom of me no longer eating as much Korean food as I used to or whether my age has decreased my heat resistance, but my tolerance for spiciness has declined precipitously. Perhaps, this is also a symptom of getting spicier dishes in general from restaurants; it might be the case that the proprietors are no longer concerned about appealing to a preconceived notion of what Americans like and instead realize that most Americans crave food as spicy as those prepared traditionally at home. I remember a time when a "spicy" order of anything involved a ladleful of ketchup glaze poured over an entree. Now, especially with the broadening of the American palate to include more exotic flavors (and flavor in general), I find "spicy" entrees to be legitimately piquant and flavorful.

Generally, the Paneer was good (though no better than creamed spinach you can get anywhere else, say a Boston Market for example), Chicken Coconut Curry nice and spicy, and the Biryani well seasoned and pretty flavorful. The bread (roti, perhaps...it didn't seem leavened like naan) was a little limp and soggy, but edible enough. Service was quick and efficient.

As an aside, the Union Station Food Court has a store that serves some of the best doughnuts in the District (and some of the best doughnuts I've ever had). It is called Nothing But Donuts and is near the escalator next to the downstairs Metro entrance. Everything can be recommended, though I like the standard glazed doughnuts and the Eclairs. (and don't get me started - it's spelled "doughnuts" people...as in a pastry made out of a nut of dough. The insidiousness of commercials, I tell ya).

Old Photos of St. Louis

I was digging through my old photographs, and I found some shots I took of Forest Park in St. Louis. Forest Park is located right in between the Central West End of St. Louis City (also the name of the neighborhood I lived in) and the eastern edge of St. Louis County (where Washington University and most of the affluent suburbs are located).



Although originally a part of St. Louis County, the ordinance authorizing the construction of Forest Park extended the City's boundaries over it. During that same year, the "Municipal Divorce Bill" also separated the County from the City, which was originally meant to prevent taxes raised in the City to be spent in the County. Of course, once the wealth started leaving the City and moving just over the border into Clayton, Ladue, and West County, the tax base went with them, spiraling the City into a cycle of inexorable urban decay that it still is trying to pull itself out of (the exact same thing happened in Baltimore, for those who are interested in the mid-20th Century decline and fall of the American city).

Luckily, St. Louis County still spends resources on the maintenance of the park, preserving this little tranquil oasis otherwise surrounded by urban blight. As I am sure you can tell, I took these photographs sometime in late autumn, with most of the foliage having already fallen.



I lived across the street from Forest Park while I was living in St. Louis. Although the park is landscaped (beautifully, I might add), it felt liked natural growth. Walking through it felt completely unlike walking through Central Park, where I would always feel this odd sense of artifice whenever I was in it. I suppose a large part of it has to do with the lack of high rises ringing the park's perimeter, and that there are no centralized spots, like the Great Lawn, or the Reservoir, invariably drawing crowds of hipster dads pushing baby strollers while listening to Arcade Fire on their Ipods, lululemon clad yuppies toting yoga mats made out of either bamboo or recycled soda bottles, irritating college kids tossing frisbees or kicking beanbags while taking sips out of their reusable water bottles (remember to avoid BPA), and annoying buskers who need to restring their guitars and wash their hair more often.

Perhaps, I liked Forest Park because it was empty...and felt it. After I quit smoking, I would go running about 3 to 4 times a week taking this trail. I always enjoyed how the bend of the bike trail traced the dirt path, which ran along the banks of a stream (that is cropped out of the shot). I would occasionally see a winsome Wash U coed huffing down the opposite way, or a fifty year old professor gamefully power walking alongside the concrete trail, but other than that, it was quiet. I never had to fear some rollerblading douche blowing down the path and running me over or a gaggle of tourists pushing each other around to get that oh so perfect shot with their brand new DSLR cameras. I could just throw my head back, breathe in the crisp, autumnal air, and run.



Here is a photo of the stream (taken about a half mile to the west, I believe). I was glad the conditions that day allowed me to get a shot of the stream reflecting the bare branches of the trees growing on the bank. The bridge downstream also provides depth and a sense of unity to this composition (IMO...feel free to disagree). This is probably my favorite photo of those I took that day.



Geese! You can't have lakeside photographs without aqueous fowl of some sort gracing the composition. Also, the band stand on the right was built for the 1904 World's Fair. Indeed, most of the buildings in Forest Park and the elaborate houses on its northern edge were built to accommodate the foreign dignitaries visiting the Fair. And, luckily, they are still preserved and used.



The St. Louis Art Museum is also located in Forest Park, sitting atop a hill where you have a perfect view of the park and the rest of the western edge of St. Louis City (though I guess wasn't up to hiking the hill this day). I just wish I could have moved that tree on the right a little further to edge of the frame. Oh well.



Another trail, with another bend, girding a stream with another bridge (notice a theme?) The advantage to late fall and winter is that you get an unencumbered view of the park's vistas, though some orange and red foliage would have been nice. Unfortunately, St. Louis is much like the DMV...lacking in color. It certainly isn't New England in October. But, it is probably the most New England-like place in the area. So while you don't have those postcard pretty vistas with colonial era churches, low stone walls, and village greens, there are some gentle, rolling slopes to convey a sense of place and terrain. It isn't just big box strip malls surrounded by cornfields and access roads like much of the rest of St. Louis County.



Another trend I am beginning to notice in these photographs...a tree to frame the right edge of the composition, and a winding path, which I use to guide the eye to an architectural fixture on the left in the background. This was all quite unintentional, I assure you. See, below, no winding path!



Maybe I was subconsciously making an homage to some older compositions. I guess it is too bad that the U.S. Midwest lacks soaring peaks and mountain ranges. Maybe I'll try Denver next time.



Wang Meng (ca. 1308-1385)
Metropolitan Museum of Art

Snowfall in Dupont

I was walking back home when the first snowfall of the year began. I only had my Blackberry with me, so I decided to take a couple of snapshots. Unfortunately, because of the bad lighting, the camera ran at a slow shutter speed, and most of my pictures had some noticeable shake and noise to them. But, the street lights provided enough illumination for a couple of my pictures.

Road work on 18th St. near Lauriol Plaza. Why is that place always packed (we are talking about a Tuesday here)? Anyway, the road work was visually more interesting than the crowd.

I tried to get some better shots with my real camera (an old Point and Click Canon A540 Powershot). It has a special function that is supposed to be used for night time pictures, so I turned it on and started shooting.

I like how the flash gives these pictures an orange pallor, with the snowflakes almost looking like burn marks in the photos. It's an interesting look, in an eerie sort of way.

I tried to get a picture without flash with limited success, mainly because it had to run at a lower shutter speed in order to get enough light, which led to a bit of camera shake. Some came out ok, though, if I was able to find a flat, level surface to rest my camera on...a sort of makeshift tripod.

I got this off-kilter dutch angle shot after I tried to take a picture without a flash down an alley way, resting the camera on an uneven surface.



Abstract art (i.e., not enough light, not enough stability holding the camera)



The masonic temple near my apartment.