If You Were to Look up Trendiest Restaurants in DC on Google, Vapiano would be up there.

Okay, so I did look up trendiest restaurants in DC on Google and Vapiano DIDN'T show up. But it should be up there! Vapiano is an Italian restaurant that completely exceeded my low expectations. First of all, it's an Italian restaurant in Chinatown. Don't get me wrong, I love Chinese food. I took a Chinese Culinary Course last semester and loved every second of it. But an Italian Restaurant in the middle of Chinatown? I didn't really trust it. In addition to the location, the outside of the restaurant wasn't the most appealing. I know, I know. Never judge a book by it's cover, right? I guess I'm a shallow eater. I do like going to places that grab my attention, whether it's via a cool looking logo (I saw one that changed colors!) or a funny/catchy/witty name. So, initially, Vapiano didn't really catch my eye. It was decent, but not eye-catching. I'm lucky the group I was with picked this place to eat at, because I ended up adoring the restaurant. Reasons to like this place:

1) Comfy seats. I like to eat in comfort. Food tastes 100x better when you're sitting in a comfy chair. Vapiano certainly fulfilled that requirement. First thing you see when you walk in are different kinds of couches everywhere.

2) Great food. The pizza was delicious. Not only is it good, but there are really different toppings. There is the Caprese, which has Mozzarella Cheese, Tomatoes, and Basil. Or the Toscana pizza with Spicy Sliced Sicilian Pepperoni, Fresh Tomatoes, Basil Pesto, and Black Olives.I had the Americana aka 'Meat Lovers' Pizza, which had pepperoni and sausage.

The blend was a good one. I've been trying to critique pizzas in categories, ever since my roommate had to write an article about the best pizza place in our area and used me as the pizza taster. Cheese and toppings were great, along with the bread, which was somewhat crunchy, but not in a way where it's too much. Sauce was decent, but it was more overshadowed by the toppings and cheese, which I think tends to happen with meats on pizzas, especially pepperoni, which has a lot of flavor. So, overall, the pizza was great. It was also good cold the next day (couldn't finish it, shockingly!), which is always a good thing.

And after dinner, comes desert, during which my appetite returned to me. That's probably due to how good all the deserts looked.

There were a lot of choices, but I went with "Death By Chocolate" cake. 

Doesn't it look sooo good? That's not even my cake. I ate half of mine, before realizing I forgot to take a picture. Thankfully, my buddy didn't eat hers! The cake is perfect for those who love chocolate. If I were to die any way, this would be it; eating a cake that reeks of delicious chocolate.

3) The place just looks cool. In addition to the comfy couches, the decorations were just really entertaining and things I haven't seen at other restaurants.

Come on, how can you NOT like a restaurant with something like this? Oh, and there's more. 

Lot's more. 

Okay, I couldn't get a picture of the entire blackboard, but it was all just adorable. I loved reading the messages, as I was ordering food. 

Then there's this. I have no clue what it is, but I like it!

Indoor Tree? I don't think I've ever seen this! 

And you can't go wrong with pretty art and an indoor fireplace! 

Vapiano was a delightful surprise with its trendy setting and entertaining decorations along with the good food. The ordering method is a little different then what I'm used to. It reminded me of the Olive Garden, where you have to wait until you're seated and the hostess hands you this big black circle, which buzzes when they're ready. You go, you sit, you eat, and then you leave. Vapiano essentially does the same thing, but the buzzing happens when your food is ready. A little strange, but it beats standing around for 15 minutes, waiting for your food, so I didn't have too much of a problem with it. 

I've spent most of this blog praising Vapiano. But, there is one criticism. They forgot an order. Thankfully not mine. But my friend had to wait for about 40 minutes for her pizza to be ready. It turned out to be a good pizza and she got it for free, but I would like to hope this isn't a common theme with Vapiano. 

Overall, don't let Vapiano's location or outside appearance fool you! It really shows you that you don't judge a book by it's cover!

For information/other locations, here's a link to the restaurant's website: 

http://www.vapianointernational.com/vapiano/cms/

That's all for now! I'll be back with more updates of DC restaurants, but with less pictures, unfortunately. 

Stay hungry!

"Click, Drool, Repeat"

That has been a daily ritual of mine, since discovering http://foodporndaily.com/ . When it comes down to it, the site is basically pictures of food. And not just any food, but mouth-watering, gorgeously presented food that proves that "food orgasms" DO exist. I've seen many blogs following the Julie Powell method. If you're not familiar with the Julie Powell method, go watch Julie and Julia! The movie is a good one for food-lovers. But, essentially, someone takes a cookbook and cooks every recipe from it, followed by a blog update. It's a really nifty idea! The "Food Porn Daily Cookbook" is my "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." If I'm ever going to blog about my cooking experiences from any cookbook, it'll be from this one. Mostly because it centers around different cuisines. There's Japanese. There's some Irish. There's Italian. And, as an aspiring multicultural restaurant owner, I might as well learn how to cook and present as many different cuisines as I can!

That's all for now!

Stay Hungry!

-Paulina

Intro and My Love of Ina Garten

Hi there, fellow food lovers! I am an undergraduate Biochemistry Major looking to pursue Graduate Studies in the science of food, particularly Food Chemistry. I have loved food, since as far as I can remember. I work at the deli at my university and am one of the few workers there, who actually enjoys it, despite the low pay, how hot it is, and the goofy hats we have to wear. I enjoy making different kinds of sandwiches and seeing how tastes vary among people. Not only do I love to cook and prepare foods, I love the science behind it. My goal for the future is to work in Research and Development at a company that specializes in food. Also, I would love to own a restaurant. My idea for one is pretty ambitious, but with enough patience, determination, and the ever-important money, I’m sure I could get it running. A little background on where the idea came from …. I am probably one of the least picky eaters around. I’ll eat everything, except yogurt with mushy fruit on the bottom and Crunch Chocolate. And that’s not even a taste problem, but more of a texture problem. I love trying foods from different cultures. I’ve eaten Polish, Chinese, Japanese, French, Lebanese, Mongolian, American, and German Foods. I’m sure there’s more out there that I’ve tried, but the minds blank right now. So my thinking was “Why not have one restaurant, where you can eat all these types of food?” My goal for this restaurant is to incorporate all cultures into one restaurant. I want every day to represent a different culture. So, for example, Monday would be Polish day, where pierogi and kielbasa will be cooked. Tuesday could be Japanese day with sushi and edamame. And the list goes on. I know it’s ambitious and I might look back at this next year and think that I am completely insane for conjuring up this idea, but I’ve never heard of something like this being done. And I think people would enjoy something as unique as this. And for any potential restaurant owners out there, back off! (And I mean that in the nicest way possible :)) The idea is mine. To end this rambling, if Food were a person, I’d probably marry it. This blog will mostly consist of my ramblings about food, where I attempt to sound reasonably intelligent. 

I’m starting this blog with a picture of a cookbook by one of my favorite chefs; Ina Garten. One thing that I love about Ina is the simplicity of her recipes. Julia Child is another favorite of mine. Not only are her dishes delicious, but she looks like my grandma. This is no joke. My family has a Julia Child cookbook and for nearly 10 years, I thought that that book was my grandma’s cookbook. When I found out that, no, this amazing chef is not my grandma, but Julia Child, I was already in love. The woman is a genius in the kitchen. But, her recipes take about a day to perfect. They are no simple feat. As a college student, if I’m ever going to cook, it needs to be quick. It needs to be simple. And, most importantly, it needs to be cheap. As much as I love working at the deli, it doesn’t pay well. So, right now, Ina’s the way to go. The food is also very tasty. Her Parmesan chicken is a favorite of mine and it only takes about 30 minutes to make! Anyone out there that needs to make a quick meal should definitely try one of Ina’s recipes. Here is her Parmesan Chicken Recipe borrowed from http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/parmesan-chicken-recipe/index.html: 

Ingredients

• 4 to 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 extra-large eggs
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 1/4 cups seasoned dry bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving
• Unsalted butter
• Good olive oil
• Salad greens for 6, washed and spun dry
• 1 recipe Lemon Vinaigrette, recipe follows

Directions

Pound the chicken breasts until they are 1/4-inch thick. You can use either a meat mallet or a rolling pin.

Combine the flour, salt, and pepper on a dinner plate. On a second plate, beat the eggs with 1 tablespoon of water. On a third plate, combine the bread crumbs and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan. Coat the chicken breasts on both sides with the flour mixture, then dip both sides into the egg mixture and dredge both sides in the bread-crumb mixture, pressing lightly.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saute pan and cook 2 or 3 chicken breasts on medium-low heat for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through. Add more butter and oil and cook the rest of the chicken breasts. Toss the saladgreens with lemon vinaigrette. Place a mound of salad on each hot chicken breast. Serve with extra grated Parmesan.

Lemon Vinaigrette:

• 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
• 1/2 cup good olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Yield: 6 servings

Unfortunately, I have no pictures, which I know is a travesty, but I will for any future recipes, since what kind of food blog would this be without any pictures? Now I’m more eager with the Parmesan. In my rendition, I added more, since I love cheese. And I didn’t include the salad bit, so you can even take out the lemon vinaigrette. Those sauces are, in my opinion, just added flavor. This chicken had more than enough for me, so no added vinaigrette was necessary. The dish is really tasty. The chicken was very tender and the flavor was just incredible. After eating it, my family said, “Hey, maybe this restaurant idea isn’t such a bad one” and that’s actually saying something, since they are my biggest critics. Basically, all you need to know about this recipe is that it’s simple, easy, and quick! 

Thanks for listening to my ramblings! 

Stay hungry! 

-Paulina