I eat therefore I am

So many choice meals this weekend, so today, mindless babble about food.

I kind of wish I could be one of those people who sees food simply as sustenance, fuel for the body. While I recognize that this is basically why we eat, I have always had a mild obsession with food. The relationship has varied from borderline healthy to completely destructive.

But by golly I do love me a good meal.

Here's the thing. I am not a big junk food fan. I don't buy a pint of Ben and Jerry's and finish it off before I realize the spoon is in my hand. I don't eat fast food, never have, and I don't like chocolate all that much (which I blame on my mother, who convinced my twin and I that we were allergic to chocolate for the first six years of our lives. An allergy that we mysteriously then "outgrew" as our food intake became harder to monitor).

But I love to eat out. I love a good meal that transports me in some way, better yet when accompanied by a beverage that fits the meal, and best yet when it is reasonably priced. This weekend boasted a star-studded line-up on all counts.

First: Birthday dinner in New York
Where: Capsouto Freres
What: Zucchini Flowers (very lightly fried and stuffed with goat cheese), grilled tuna with a balsamic sauce cooked medium-rare -- no knife necessary, and a hazelnut souffle to finish the meal. Amazing presentation -- I've never had a real souffle before, smooth and creamy and light and really, remarkable.
To Drink: Dad is a wine connoisseur. He prepared a flight of wines to accompany the meal that was probably higher in quality than any wine I've ever had before, including one from our birth year (1975). Thanks dad.

Now, price on this one isn't completely fair, because I wasn't paying. Needless to say, the place isn't cheap. But I will say that the prices looked remarkable reasonable for the quality of food and service we received, and they have a great deal offered at restaurant week.

Second: Post-birthday brunch in New York
Where: The Half King
What: The "Vegetarian Irish Breakfast". Okay, so it's kind of a copout. I got the eggs, toast, broiled mushrooms, stewed tomatoes and baked beans, but none of the blood pudding and sausages. Sorry, I just couldn't do that stuff. But the veggie plate still felt sufficiently artery clogging, especially after a taste of the scones and clotted cream someone had ordered for the table. A brunch guest got the full-fledged Irish breakfast, and while impressive I was reminded why the Irish are known for their hedonistic living and early deaths, and I was glad I hailed from Southern European roots instead.
To drink: grapefruit juice. Couldn't do the complimentary mimosa, not with a greyhound bus ride in the immediate future.

Price is good here. Didn't pay again (give me a break, I'm with my parents) but the prices are extremely reasonable, and the atmosphere is great -- dark and brooding inside, light and airy in the courtyard. Somewhere in between if you sit near a window.

Third: Post bus ride dinner in DC
Where: Amsterdam Falafel
What: Yeah, well falafel filled to bursting with toppings -- baba ganoush, hummous, pickled vegetables, turnips, roasted zucchini. Omigod, I love this place. I thought I would not be hungry again after such a filling and rich breakfast, but sure enough, come later evening after an uneventful greyhound ride back to town, I was totally craving a falafel. So we went to Amsterdam Falafel, which I really think is the best thing to happen to Adams Morgan since the 90 Bus. I lived on falafel when I spent a month in Israel, and I loved the do-it-yourself toppings bars. This place is the only place I've found in the states that gets the concept. And they are probably much more sanitary then the place I would frequent in Tel Aviv, so bonus points for that. Plus they have frites. I can barely stand it.

Price -- so reasonable. Like seven bucks for a sandwich and frites.

Fourth: July 4th Movie Night Pre-show Dinner
Where: Thai Chili
What: Summer rolls to start, then Tofu Kra Pow. This was a surprise. The place is in the gigantic movie complex at gallery place, a project which, as far as I am concerned, sealed the deal that the development of chinatown in DC was going to be as commercial and brassy as possible. It looks like a chain. But it was convenient. So we wandered in warily. And what a pleasant surprise. The two stars was actually pretty spicy, the peanut sauce for the summer rolls had a bit of bite, the service was excellent, and the vegetables were divine -- crisp and fresh and bursting with color and flavor. I was really pleased. The gigantic tv screens covering one wall were an odd distraction (made odder by the non-stop series of mid-eighties Whitney Houston videos that were being screened) but this is truly a pleasant addition to the choice of thai restaurants in this city.
To drink: Singha beer. What else?

And the price, again, extremely fair, plus ten percent off with a movie ticket stub.

Finished the (long) weekend off with a showing of War of the Worlds. Fun, enjoyable, immensely watchable. And as someone who doesn't enjoy blockbuster films, that's saying a whole lot.