Cold night. Great food.

Tuesday was a nasty day in DC weather wise. It snowed and then there was a lovely coating of freezing rain. It was slippery and nasty outside. Most people stayed inside all warm and cozy. Who would want to go out on a night like that? Well, that would be me, I guess. It had been the plan to go to Bazin's in Vienna for dinner on Tuesday night for a while. A little ice wasn't going to stop me. Through the cold I just kept reminding myself of a particular item I had seen on their website: goat cheese profiteroles. That alone was enough to keep me going.

I think there were supposed to be 6 of us, originally. In the end, only four of us were crazy to venture out. It was a good enough group to keep the conversation lively and fun, though. Besides myself, present were The Boyfriend, Mardi Gras Mel, and Mark (a very nice guy whom I do not know particularly well enough to bestow upon him a nickname).

We had a little difficulty finding the place at first, driving slowly around ice encrusted roads and loving the the car's heater. When we did finally turn onto the right street, it felt a little bit like Christmas. What a cute street! Especially with all the snow looking like frosting on the charming little shops and New England style buildings. Bazin's itself fits right in along with that quaint atmosphere- it's housed in an old fire station.

The dining room is dimly lit and warm. It's a wide open space but somehow they manage to create a very intimate atmosphere. Did I mention that it was warm? We were lead as fast as our frozen toes could carry us to a window side seat. Great view and it managed to not be drafty, too.

My first disappointment came when I opened the menu. No goat cheese profiteroles. I had come through sleet and snow and was not to be rewarded with goat cheese profiteroles. I was very, very sad. I am still, even three days later, very, very sad. However, there were a few other tasty options on the menu. I opted to start with an interesting ravioli involving smoked onions. It sounded at the very least intriguing, but turned out to be remarkable. The onion flavor was pungent without being overwhelming, and the tomato sauce served over the ravioli was enough to make me want to lick the plate.

One of the greatest things about dining out with other people who love food is that you get to try a little of everything. The Boyfriend ordered an appetizer of mushrooms with tasso ham served over a biscuit. We were surprised when it came to the table in a bowl, brimming with a large serving of the mushroom/ham mixture. It was just as good as the ravioli, with a lovely rich sauce that one taste did not satisfy. Melanie had the duck quesadilla- another odd sounding dish that turned out to be fantastic.

I was in a steak mood that night, not a mood I fall into all that often, but when I do I tend to cave to the craving. I ordered the filet mignon, again not my usual choice but I was too tempted by the "potato-onion hash" not to try it. The steak came drizzled in a white truffle cream sauce, hash off to one side and a few cooked baby carrots around the plate. The hash was good, if a little over salted, but the carrots were delicious. I was actually upset there weren't more carrots. As I cut into the meat- wait, hold on, first I need to tell you what I cut into the meat with. Let me reiterate- Bazin's is a warm and cozy bistro-style place; somewhere you might go to drink wine and dine with old friends in a relaxed yet somewhat upscale atmosphere. It is not the kind of place you expect to find yourself cutting into a $26 filet mignon with a snakeskin patterned steak knife. And yet, that's exactly what I had in my hand as I prepared to slice into my steak. It was about as jarring as me interrupting my review to talk about a snakeskin patterned steak knife. However, let me continue. As I cut into the meat I noticed at once that it was perfectly cooked and very tender. My mouth confirmed that assessment. This was a very, very good steak. The white truffle cream sauce was very distinctive in flavor, but did not go over the top to smother the steak's own wonderful flavor.

Again, I was offered a little bit of everyone's food. The Boyfriend had steak as well, only his was Au Poivre. That steak turned out to be just as good as my own, perfectly cooked again, tender and delicious. The sauce was a wonderful compliment to it, but not overwhelming. I sampled the loaded baked potato that came with his steak as well. Again- outstanding. No bacon bits or crumbles there, just actual chunks of real bacon. I was even allowed to eat all of the asparagus that came with his entree. Happy me!

I'm not a huge Risotto fan, but Melanie ordered it and I was willing to try it. Once more: perfect. Well cooked but not mushy, the flavors were all blended together but still distinctive. I would order this Risotto for myself, and that is saying something.

There were a few sides we saw on the menu that wouldn't be coming with any of our entrees, but which we wanted to sample so we ordered them for the table: the herb french fries and the mac & cheese. The fries were good, but weren't exceptional. The mac & cheese though... I am going to spend a decade trying to figure out how they got that mac & cheese to be rich and satisfying and yet have a light, almost floral taste to it. I've never had anything like it. Delicious.

After all that you really couldn't blame us that we couldn't turn down dessert. We should have, but we didn't. I had a chocolate peanut butter torte. It wasn't that great, really. The Boyfriend had an apple tart style dessert that was served with "salted caramel ice cream". I love when salt and sweet are combined. I could have eaten every last bit of that ice cream if I'd been allowed (which I wasn't, but I can't blame him).

Bazin's was a worthy trip. Even on a terrible, cold, frankly dangerous night. It was also one of the best meals I've had a in a long, long time and I have no qualms at all at saying go here, and go to Bazin's.

How to Get Stewed

If you've ever had or made beef stew, you're probably familiar with the idea of putting red wine into the mix. Slightly less popular, but by no means inferior, is the idea of putting beer into beef stew- usually Guinness. Well, hold on to your hats, ladies and gentlemen, because last week I tried a recipe that called for BOTH!

The recipe:
1.25 lbs lean stew meat
2 T olive oil
6 cloves of garlic, minced
6 cups of beef stock
2 cups of red wine
1 cup of Guinness
1 T butter
4 peeled Russet potatoes
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped

In a heavy stock pot or dutch oven, heat the olive oil and then brown the meat on all sides. Once the meat is browned, add garlic and cook until golden. Add beef stock, red wine and Guinness. Lower heat and simmer uncovered for 60 minutes. In a separate pan saute the remaining vegetables with the butter for about 20 minutes until tender. Add vegetables to stock pot and continue to simmer covered for about 60 minutes or until vegetables and beef are tender.

Now, I have never been one to exactly follow a recipe. Here are the substitutions I made to the above: I used 4 cups of beef stock instead of 6, substituting more Guinness and red wine; baby carrots instead of adult carrots (had to say it, sorry); pearl onions instead of a regular onion. Under normal circumstances I use additional garlic in almost any recipe- but check that recipe out: 6 cloves of garlic!! Awesomeness...

I actually didn't use stew meat, either, since I find that it's normally too tough. I know that's the point of stew meat, but I prefer to use a finer cut. I forget what I used here, but it was something like a London Broil, and I used closer to two pounds.

This recipe produces a very rich, satisfying stew. The Guinness was really present in the flavor while the wine closed it out nicely. Unfortunately for me, I put the potatoes in too early and the whole thing came out looking like brown mush because they dissolved into the broth. Still, it was yummy even if it wasn't pretty. In the future I would also probably use unpeeled red potatoes instead of Russet and I would find a way to put mushrooms in there, too.

Served with a nice fresh sourdough bread, this recipe produced about 5-6 servings. Highly recommended.

Can I get a slacker with a side of lazy?

Yes, I've been a slacker on this here blog. There's no excuse. It's not like I haven't been out to eat- I have. And it's not like those experiences weren't memorable- they were! Mostly in a bad way. Alas, I'm just a lazy person.

Have no fear! In the coming days I plan on trying a new Mexican place, making my very own beef stew, and running the gauntlet of other culinary experiments! Please DO stay tuned!