‘Taste of DC’ this weekend

This weekend Taste of DC is coming back to host their third culinary and cultural festival.

The event will host over 70 DC restaurants, 50 beers, and 100 wines to dine in style.

Tickets can be purchased here

The price of tickets range from $5 – $50.

Hope to see you all there!

DC Fall Menu

Fall is here in all its glory and how do we know it? Seeing pumpkin recipes and items on the menu (The Pumpkin Spice Latte counts too).

While California was not sensitive to the Fall season (it used to be hot up till November and jump straight into chilly winters), DC has definitely embraced the season by giving their menu a makeover.

Here are some items changed around the local restaurants. So make sure you try ’em out next time you’re there.

1. Table, DC – Root Bowl (roasted acorn squash, baby carrots, salsify , potatoes, pearl onions, romaine hearts and mustard sauce)
2. Jackson 20 – Slow roasted goat with pimento cheese ravioli and sweet potato puree
3. El Centro Georgetown – Sweet and Spicy Pork Cazuela with Pumpkin seeds (of course, the pumpkin!)
4. Astro Doughnuts and Fried Chicken – Sweet Potato Doughnut with marshmallow and cranberry
5. Astro Doughnuts and Fried Chicken – Pumpkin cake doughnut with gingerbread crumbs
6. Urbana – Duck breast with swiss chard, celeriac puree and cherry gastrique
7. Zentan – Creamy uni risotto
8. The Red Hen – Autumn Squash (topped with bacon, toasted almonds and truffled pecorino)
9. BLT Steak – Pork Tenderloin atop butternut squash puree and savoy cabbage
10. Black Salt – Pumpkin Streusel Pie (choice of ice-cream and topping)

Lets share some pics, comments and reviews if you’ve tried any of these already!

Bon appétit 🙂

Halal Guys coming to town

Well, literally speaking their food is coming to DC.

The Supply at GWU is hosting their second Chicken and Rice Event on October 11th at the Anniversary Park.

The Supply is a not-for-profit organization that aims at providing education to the slum communities around the world by providing the resource and platform for it.

All the money raised at the October 11th event will go towards activating urban slum youth in Nairobi, Kenya.

Who are the Halal Guys?
It is a food stand on the corner of 53rd Street and 6th Avenue. According to Yelp, they offer the most delicious falafel on the East Coast. The secret lies in their white sauce which is a mystery and no one knows what its made of. Below is a picture of their usual customer scene.

Source: The Halal Guys

How to get a bite at DC?

So their famous chicken and rice or the combo (chicken and lamb) platter is coming to DC based on pre-orders. Orders can be made here and be paid through PayPal or with a debit/credit card.  Finally you can pick up your food on Oct 11th at the anniversary park (Map).

Hope to see you all there!

Fruit Drink with a Buzz!

‘Dubai authorities have ordered a range of fruit flavoured drink to be withdrawn from supermarket shelves after it was found to contain excessive amounts of alcohol’

Image: AB

I am not sure why soft-drinks and juices have alcohol in them but I’m surprised that this time it was Snapple. Honestly, the only Snapple flavor I’ve liked was ‘Peach Flavored Tea’ and now I think I know why. The ‘Peach Flavored Tea’ and the Fruit Punch Mixed Drink’ contained 0.05% & 0.48% of alcohol respectively.

The legal driving limit with alcohol content in blood is lesser 0.1% in most countries and the second drink could have landed many in jail. But before that, I hope the company gets sued for selling these drinks in a Muslim country where adults and children alike consume soft drinks and juices.

Source: Arabian Business

Saving Your Calories at the Doorstep

The Arabs have proved that they’re lovin’ it because McDonald’s is about to commence home delivery in the Emirati city of Dubai.

I have to admit that fast food tastes better in the Middle East than anywhere else in the world and McDonald’s does have a reason to expand their services with a huge number of loyal customers. While their market share continues to slump in the US, fast food joints have seen a sliver lining in the Middle Eastern market. With McDelivery service, Dubai residents can now order their burgers, nuggets, drinks, deserts and salads either via phone or online.

A major reason for this personalized service is to compete with the new and younger restaurants who offer the same taste in the area. With over 60 locations in the tiny city of Dubai, McDonald’s need to step up their game to match with other American joints like Chili’s, TGIF, Applebee’s, Rodeo Steakhouse, etc.

Another reason might be to focus on customer expansion than their physical locations. Real estate prices have climbed steeply in the last two years and restaurant chains might have to settle for alternate measures to boost customer service and satisfaction.

All in all, another good reason for me to stay at home and consume oily grub.

Ramadan Eating Habits

Photo: Arwa Aburawa

‘Dozens hospitalized in Qatar after overeating during Ramadan’ reported a local newspaper on the second day of fasting. (Link)

One of the mistakes made by believers while breaking their fast is over-eating. The sight and smell of fresh kebabs, tandoor, qouzi and jireesh could make anyone go head over heels with love at Maghrib.

Here are a few tips for eating healthy during the month of Ramadan when food and drink are meant to be consumed:

1. Avoid Fast – Food: Try to avoid burgers, sausages, french fries, sandwiches and the usual junk while breaking fast. They usually contain MSG, lots of Sodium and oils that enhance one’s cholesterol level. Stick to fruits and vegetables and if possible, buy local produce. They might be a bit more expensive than the imported ones but the healthy food will help keep the person’s energy levels up for the next day.
2. Brown is in Style: Choose brown bread, brown rice, brown sugar, brown roti, etc. White contains high levels of carbohydrates and sugar. The sugar will increase the sugar levels in a person’s blood stream while consuming it on an empty stomach. Desserts contain sugar too, so try to use cane sugar or honey to prepare sweets.
3. Check the C: ‘C’ stands for carbs and keep a check on it. Balance carb-rich foods with protein like red meat, tofu, fish and beans.
4. Avoid Fried Foods: I love Zalabia and Samosas too but they are rich in carbs, oil and fat. It is possible to bake them instead of frying. Fried foods take longer to digest so consuming them first when breaking fast is a bad choice.
5. Hydrate the Body: Proper hydration will speed up the digestion process and prevent the person from over-eating. Light smoothies, coconut water and lime juice are all excellent choices.

You are what you drink, apparently!

Visiting one of the Starbucks at Kuwait, I noticed that the people before me were ordering frappuccino and regular coffee. This left me in a dilemma since those two are my usual orders at any cafe. I ended up ordering my usual frapp – light on ice with no cream.

While waiting for my order, I wondered if our orders reflect our personalities. I have friends who have specific complicated orders while at Starbucks. For instance, double chocolate grande frapp with caramel base instead of the regular swirl with light ice and heavy cream. A bit complicated but this friend is extremely energetic and cheerful.

Look at the image below and find out what your coffee says about you

Illust. – Doghouse Diaries

Kuwait’s Got A Heavy Problem

Photo Courtesy: Bananaq8, Owlolive

According to an article published in the Daily Mail, Kuwait has been crowned the throne with the highest rate of BMI on the globe. Kuwait has actually managed to surpass USA in this feat.

I have to say that with all the McDonalds, FatBurger (rolling my eyes), Slider Station, Shake Shack and hundreds more of high-caloric restaurants, I am not surprised with the outcome. But I am doubtful about the study that was conducted. Since it was a result of the total body mass index (BMI), Kuwait does have a lot of macho men and women who has seen countless hours in the gym.

Image: Carol Lay

When calculating the BMI, the measure does not differentiate between fat and muscle weight. So, this does not necessarily mean that Kuwait faces the highest obesity issue.

But according to an old article published in the Gulf News back in 2011, Kuwait was discovered to have the highest ‘rate’ of obese people with about 250,000 people suffering from obesity. The rate is calculated on the total population base. Kuwait has an approximate population of 3.3 million people (1.1m Kuwaitis, 2.2m expatriates).

Naturally USA must be having more than 250,000 obese Americans, but given the size of Kuwait, the state is in a big heap of trouble.

According to a news article published in Arab Times on Dec 11, the State was ranked at fifth position for the world’s most obese nation.  Former Health Minister, Dr. Muhammad Al – Jarallah, stated that “obesity is a widespread disease and surgery is the only option in certain cases”. [Link]

It took a lot of milkshakes and burgers to achieve this title, so let’s celebrate it with a bucket of ice-cream per head.

“Eat to live, Don’t live to Eat”
– Benjamin Franklin

Perhaps Too Much Westernization?

Photo Courtesy: Club Lounge

While chilling with my friends the other day, we had a hard time deciding on a place for dinner. Some of the suggestions were Applebee’s, Chili’s, P.F.Chang, Smokehouse, Caluccios, Satchi, Kitchen Art and on it went with the American and European restaurants. Being someone who’s been in the U.S. for the last five years, the mention of these restaurants killed my appetite.

What happened to good old Kuwaiti places? On my flight to Kuwait I was excited just to think about all the Yireesh, Gabout, Shawarma, Kebabs and Knafeh that I could devour during my short stay here. Now all the food courts and restaurants are full of American, French, Italian, and other South-East Asian cuisines.

Sure, there are Arab cafes around every corner but it just doesn’t feel right to nibble away at a scrawny shawarma or ignore the oil and sugar that covers the sweets with very little taste to relish. Last week I managed to find out the new location of the Kuwaitiana restaurant and that took me quite some effort.Once a huge store, now it resembles a small hole-in-the-wall look which could be easily mistaken for some random restaurant rather than for the great place it is.

I’m sure that I wouldn’t have been feeling this way if I was settled in Kuwait. But I just hope that among all the westernization taking place, there will still be the fresh aroma of tea and ful hanging in the air in the morning.

PS: If you know of any great Arab places, don’t hesitate in sharing it. After all, sharing is caring 😉

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