Breakfast at Founding Farms in Washington, DC

For breakfast before I left DC, Lauren took me to Founding Farmers, which seems really awesome and super popular.  It was packed when we got there at around 9:30 a.m.  Soo many things on the menu that I wanted to try but couldn't all at once.  Definitely going to come back in May.  Although they did mess up my order (gave me scrambled eggs instead of over easy, and multi grain bread instead of ciabatta), the food I ate was so delicious that I can forgive it.  Had I not been in a rush to go I would have requested it fixed, but just gives me things to try next time.

Drag through the Garden Pan Scramble - pan scrambled egg whites, roasted seasonal vegetables, spinach, and white cheddar cheese, with side of shredded leek hash browns, and multi-grain toasted.  Lauren got this and she says it's one of her usual orders.  Looked pretty healthy and fresh.

Founding Farmer's Breakast with Bacon - two eggs scrambled (although ordered over easy), black pepper maple glazed bacon (I upgraded over regular bacon), shredded leek hash browns, and multi-grain toasted (in lieu of ciabatta).  Although I was initially upset about the eggs, I think it may have been better because the bacon was really the star of the shoe with the hash browns a close second.  The leeks made the hash browns taste really different, and the bacon was so thick and both delightfully pepper-y and sweet.  Definitely would order this again

Dinner at Matchbox in Washington, DC

One of the places I've missed in DC was Matchbox, which has the best little mini burgers ever and delicious pizza.  Lauren and I went to a new branch on U Street and it was just as awesome as I remembered.  I got full pretty quickly though, but it was worth it.

3 mini burgers - angus beef, brioche, gouda with a mountain of onion straws.  Soooo good.  I probably could eaten the whole plate myself but wanted to eat pizza too. 

Large half and half pizza - (1) Spicy sopresatta salami, wild mushroom, tomato sauce, fresh herbs, and mozzarella, and (2) Prosciutto White w/fresh garlic puree, ricotta, extra virgin olive oil, mozzarella, and artichokes instead of olives.  Both were sooo good and it was great to have a white and marinara mix

Dinner at Melt Shop in NYC

After a super sad failed attempt at meeting MK and one of the coldest nights in awhile, Dan, Tracy, Nicole and I went to the Melt Shop for dinner.  The inside was pretty small but the food was just what we needed on a chilly night. 

Shroom Grilled Cheese - portobello, goat cheese, harvarti and parsley pesto on multi-grain.  I didn't try any but Tracy seemed to really enjoy it

Tomato Soup - super tasty and very large and filling.  Perfect for any type of grilled cheese to dip

Aged Cheddar w/Bacon (maple glazed) - super tasty.  Nicole and I shared this one and the fried chicken one below

Gluten-free classic w/tomato and caramelized onions - Dan really enjoyed it, esp. dipping it

Tots in the back and Aged Cheddar w/Bacon in the front

Buttermilk Fried Chicken w/pepper jack cheese, creamy red cabbage slaw, and special melt sauce.  Super filling w/very meaty and large pieces of chicken.  The slaw was a nice complement.  Not sure what the sauce was.  Would probably have preferred a ketchup/bbq sauce but still glad I tried it

Lunch at Mighty Quinn's BBQ in Clifton, NJ

Mighty Quinn's BBQ just opened up its first place in Jersey, in Clifton in fact.  Right where Corner Bakery used to be.  While I did love Corner Bakery this is a welcome, different addition from the usual chains.  I've wanted to go to Mighty Quinn's in NYC but I always thought the restaurants were small with long lines and not worth it to me especially with places like Hill Country where there's so much space and reservations galore.  Overall, I enjoyed the meal since I got to try so much.  The take-away is that the brisket and pulled pork are wonderful and definitely what one should order.  At least over the spare ribs (too pepper-y and not enough meat and not fall off the bone) or chicken (too much dry rub and not much flavor). The sides were all very tasty.  I'd like to come back and get a sandwich with tons of extra veggies on it.

Half chicken w/pickled cucumbers and vinegar slaw

Spare ribs w/slaw

Sweet potato casserole with maple & pecans, burnt end baked beans, edamame and sweet pea salad, pulled pork.  The best side was probably the beans because of the burnt ends in there.  The sweet potato casserole was the right amount of sweet, and the salad was the lightest so refreshing.  The pulled pork was very tender and juicy and the bbq sauce on the table added great zing.

Brisket w/pickled cucumbers and slaw.  The brisket is probably my fav of any BBQ places I've gone to in the city, so that is a high endorsement.  Good amount of fat and smoke and seasoning.  Can't wait to try a brisket sandwich in the future.

Dessert at Il Laboratorio del Gelato in NYC

Following brunch we decided to take a walk around since it was nice out and the first weekend in Spring.  We wanted something sweet and thought of getting ice cream, but I realized how close we were to Il Laboratorio so got gelato instead.  You can try up to two flavors for free, so I decided to try the pistachio, my usual go-to flavor, because I was mildly confused as to why the gelato was a brown color instead of white or green.  It was definitely nutty tasting but the color threw me off and I couldn't do it.  Instead I got avocado and toasted almond.  The avocado wasn't avocado-y enough for me; filipino ice cream has spoiled me.  But the toasted almond was AMAZING and I wish I had just gotten a whole bowl of that haha.  Dan got vanilla chocolate chip and salted caramel.  Both were awesome. 

(L to R) avocado, toasted almond, vanilla chocolate chip, and salted caramel gelato

Brunch at Essex in NYC

Dan and I finally made it to brunch at Essex in NYC.  It's always been somewhere I've wanted to go to brunch but when you have to deal with the subway and PATH on the weekends, it's so much more tempting to eat at home or eat in JC.  I'm glad we went though because now we know that it's all hype and not anything amazing.  It was super crowded when we got there and awkward/difficult to find the hostess.  Luckily we had a reservation so got seated right away.  The waiter was okay in terms of re-filling our drinks (every brunch entree comes w/3 mimosas, screwdrivers or bloody marys) but sometimes we had to get his attention.  We weren't rushed though, which was good considering how busy it was.  We both felt that we could've made our dishes better at home.  Not that I would have short ribs to just throw in my hash haha, but they OVERCOOKED my eggs!  WTF!  I asked for my eggs over easy and it was definitely over hard, barely any runny yolk at all.  The yolk was essentially cooked through and tasted like a hard boiled yolk.  Sad Panda :(   Also, the duck fat with the potatoes was really unnecessary.  The short rib on its own was so rich (and very tasty I'll admit) so it would've been better with just regular home fries-style potatoes.  Oh well; at least we know now and I can move on to other brunch escapades.

Complimentary onion roll - okay.  Soft but not warm.

The CEO - chorizo, scrambled eggs, onions and tortillas with side of home fries and salad.  Dan got this, and we both agreed that we make better chorizo scrambles at home.  Also, didn't taste like chorizo, more like andouille.  Confusing.

Short rib hash with three eggs "over easy" and duck fat potatoes.  But really kind of misleading b/c hash implies potatoes so you'd think I'd be getting double potatoes (not that I wanted that) but they should just say short rib hash in duck fat, plus eggs.

Still I cleaned my plate hahaha.  Fatty HP.

Dinner at VB3 in Jersey City, NJ

Law school lady reunion in JC.  Very belated.  While I'm glad I finally got to try the food at VB3 and the environment itself was kinda fun for a chill Friday night, the food itself was just okay.  My pizza was tasty because how can cheese, truffle oil, and mushrooms be bad, but the pizza crust was just ehh.  I think everyone enjoyed their pasta except Laura, which I kind of agreed with because it was oddly lemon-y.  The arancini and wings we had for appetizers were fine, nothing so memorable but tasty.  Overall, definitely better food in JC, and most definitely better pizza elsewhere.   But not bad if you're in the Newport area and want something besides mall food court food.

Brick oven chicken wings with roasted onions, celery, chili calabrese and gorgonzola cheese.  Nice and crisp with a good amount of spice.  Didn't really eat any of the stuff on top, maybe that would've made it even better.

Arancini - saffron rice balls stuffed with mozzarella and peas.  Honestly did not taste anything except cheese inside.  Fried cheese is hard to mess up, but it just wasn't anything so memorable and needed some salt.

Penne Primavera with seasonal vegetable, cherry tomatoes, garlic and olive oil.  Kavita got this and I think she enjoyed it.  I didn't try it but it looked fresh and healthy.

Penne a la vodka with prosciutto and peas.  My fav combo, which is also Jess's favorite.  She seemed to like it and I tried a bit and the sauce was good.  Didn't get any meat or peas in my bite but since the sauce was good I'm sure with the prosciutto and peas it was even better.

Wild mushroom pizza with pecorino, truffle oil, and thyme.  Great balance of cheese, shrooms and truffle oil.  The dough was fine but didn't make me want to eat my crusts.

Orecchiette con gambieri - jumbo shrimp, broccoli rabe, lemon, white wine and butter.  Laura got this and unfortunately did not seem to be a huge fan.  I tried it and the only thing I could taste was lemon.  Too bad because it looked really good.