A Case For Tort Reform and Some Korean Food

You've heard about this--the ridiculous case of the $54 million lawsuit over some missing (but eventually recovered) pants. The good news is that justice prevailed and the ruling was in favor of the defendents: these poor, hardworking small business owners. After two years of stress (both emotional and financial), they will get their court costs paid by the claimant,

this clown (Roy Pearson, left):

However, the legal fees that the Chungs incurred, which may (but most likely will not) be paid by Pearson--who is awaiting (an equally unlikely) reappointment as an administrative law judge--are significant. Come show your support for the Chungs (i.e. help them with their hefty legal bills) and attend a cocktail fundraiser on their behalf at the US Chamber of Commerce (see details by clicking on banner above). If you can't make it, at least support another Korean-owned small business: Mandu restaurant on 18th.

Try the bibimbap and bulgogi (rice-and-vegetable medley and the barbecued beef). Yum.

What Washington Eats Wednesdays: Al Gore

Chilean sea bass has become a very popular fish amongst restauranteurs and diners. It's super delicious with its thick, fluffy, tender flesh. Also known as Patagonian toothfish (not so appetizing a name), it's apparently one of the world's most threatened fish species. Illegal poaching and over-fishing has jeopardized the remaining stock.

So...the last person you would think to eat this endangered seafood is Mr. Environment, Al Gore. But that's just what he did at his daughter's wedding last week. Really, Al? Really? Eco-pocrisy!

On the street today...strawberries.

I noticed something unusual today: a woman holding a container of strawberries. No fancy packaging, no creamy extras, no shiny-icey whatever. Just strawberries. Usually it's some sort of over-priced, overly complex iced coffee beverage or some high energy super duper bang bang smoothey that I see in my fellow city-zens' hands. And perhaps this woman, with her modest snack of fruit, made me think of simpler (wiser) people.* (Okay, actually, first the phrase "free to be you and me" came to mind because of her short, spiked hair and teenaged-boy-cum-lesbian saggy jeans--but I digress.) Then I wondered for a moment why we Washingtonians/Americans are so complex and removed from good sense, so forced by convenience or fashion that we require so much processing and adornment. I realized at that moment, that it was rare to see something so unadulterated as fresh fruit as a portable snack--that this was progressive woman. And by progressive, I mean weird...and smarter than me. So I ate the melted bite-sized Snickers that was in my purse.

*Fresh fruit is the snack of choice in southeast Asia. On a vacation there, I remember being awed by the walking street vendors who carried baskets full of fresh fruit that they rigged onto the ends of long bamboo canes to sell to (mostly) locals for just pennies.

Divey, But Authentic: Malaysia Kopitiam

I was walking to work one morning when I noticed a woman holding a to-go cup of coffee from...McDonald's. It read "Premium Roast Coffee" in a fashionably brown ersatz earth-friendly cup. The juxtaposition of the quintessentially down-market McD's and anything near "premium" was amusing.

Premiumization is the new black. It's everywhere. Upscale has gone down-market. I'm not sure how I feel about this. Is it truly premium? What does that mean? Exclusive? Rare? Exceptional? I say true premium is outstanding quality, not a fad. It has to be great and true. And I'm not sure those things can be mass produced. Can they? Now I'm not saying that McD's new fancy coffee isn't good, but there's something manufactured about the whole thing. Perhaps the image; I don't know. I guess what I'm saying (and perhaps stating the obvious in the process) is that premium isn't an image. Indeed, sometimes, real quality might come in the form of a gritty, divey restaurant with ripped vinyl benches and amazing food (such is the case of Malaysia Kopitiam).

Anyway, I want authenticity, dammit! And I got it at Malaysia Kopitiam. On M street a couple doors down from the venerable "gentleman's" club, Camelot, you'll find a dark and dingy little restaurant that's always packed. It's one of the handful of Malyasian restaurants in the city. Ironically, just a door or so away sits the much more glamorous, and much less edible, Panang (which is, I would argue, premium in the McDonald's sense of the word).

Malaysian Kopitiam is quaint in its awkwardness. Everything from the sullen visage of the mama boss in native dress to our server forgetting to give us rice were all forgiveable for the amazing food. The super extensive menu was displayed in two ways: one was a long laminated sheet with names and descriptions; the other was a three ring binder full of pictures of the dishes. Now that's pretty awesome! Malaysian food is a very curious blend of what seems to be Thai (spicey entrees), Chinese (non-spicey entrees), and Indian (roti bread dishes), so the pictures really did help.

We started off with a very interesting sort of rice-based tamale wrapped in banana leaves. Rembah Udang is basically sticky rice stuffed with spicy minced chicken and shrimp paste and grilled in a banana leaf (you aren't supposed to eat the leaf). Unwrapped, the little green present revealed some spicey goodness with surprising flavors that were very enjoyable. Then we tried the pork Roti (Indian Bread) "wrap". The sliced pork was marinated in tamarind sauce topped with lettuce and abundant fresh, sweet onion, all nestled in a folded roti loaf. Delightful. It was slightly sweet, the meat tender, and the roti soft and chewy.

We shared entrees of (awesome) Assam Shrimp Sambal (quintessentially Malaysian, apparently) and spicey tamarind squid. Sambal, the base for the shrimp, is basically a spicey condiment paste made of hot peppers of different varieties . It was indeed spicey, but not overwhelmingly so. The shrimp was large and fresh, and the roughly cut green bell peppers, onions and tomatoes remained crisp and flavorful despite the slow cooked taste of the stew-like sauce.

The squid dish was equally nice, though the squid was a bit tough. The long cylinders of the scored seafood were chewy and a bit overdone. But the playful salty-sweet tamarind sauce filled with okra and pineapple compensated for it. Yum!

The best balance for all this spice was, of course, some cold beer. Singha we chose. So good. I want to go back and try everything on the menu. This stuff is good, and according to my Singaporean/Malaysian contacts, this is as good as it gets--the real deal. Premium=as good as it gets (no matter the image).

Great Customer Care at Petit Plats

Had a light dinner at Petit Plats the other night. I wanted to try one of their many moules frites dishes (mussles and fries). Went with the moules provencal (tomato, garlic, and herbs)--more on that disaster in a minute. But also had to try the smoked trout salad and sauteed calamari appetizer.

First came the bread: a warm and fabulous baguette. Totally good. Chewy outside, soft on the inside. I rarely rave about the bread anywhere, but this was notable. They bake it fresh in-house.

Then came the smoked trout. It was sliced in strips, sat on top of some greens, fennel, and grapefruit. Really good. Nice balance. The calamari wasn't as nice. It was sliced into rings, over cooked and rubbery. The garlic and white wine sauce was oily.

Finally, the large bowl of mussels came. They were exceptionally dry, most were dead (closed), and the few opened ones were so small...there was nothing edible. We sent them back. This was a test of service. The manager came back and apologized profusely--clearly embarrassed. He insisted that he had a reputation for good mussels and he wanted to assure us that this was an anomoly, a bad batch. He had to throw the whole evening's batch out after he had the chef look at them more closely. So he took the mussels off our bill and insisted on dessert on the house. It was a fabulous tarte tatin. Lightly sweetened crust and apples with great caramel glaze, and a really nice vanilla ice cream.

This gesture, although small, was outstanding in its sincerity and I appreciated his focus on good customer care. Indeed "petit plats" refers to a french gesture of hospitality...and they most definitely showed it.

Petit Plats is a good little french bistro. Has plenty of classic selections, is nicely priced, and has great outdoor seating. It's a simple place and some of the food is hit or miss, but the service is great. I'll go again.

Gawd It's Hot Out: Eat Summer Rolls

This week has been awful with the soaring temperatures and ridiculous humidity. DC is, after all, a swamp. On days like these, you don't want to really eat--at least nothing heavy. If you're sick of salads, smoothies, or gazpacho, you should try what the Vietnamese enjoy on sweltering days: summer rolls. How aptly named. They're great when you don't want to do a lot of cooking and want something light (but not boring). Here's the recipe from Joy of Cooking:

Makes 4 to 6 appetizer servings

If the rice paper you are using is especially fragile and is tearing, use 2 sheets far each summer roll. Immerse them as directed, then overlap 2 sheets in the middle by 4 inches. Bring to a rapid boil in a medium saucepan:
4 cups water
1 bundle Japanese somen noodles (about 2 1/2 ounces), broken in half
Boil until the noodles are just firm to the bite, about 2 minutes. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove the noodles to a colander; rinse with cold water.Add to the still-boiling water:
16 medium shrimp, in their shells
Boil until they turn pink and float to the surface, about 2 minutes. Drain in a colander, refresh with cold water, then peel and cut lengthwise in half. Rinse with cold water to remove the veins and drain on paper towels.Place the noodles and shrimp on a small baking sheet along with:
4 large leaves red-leaf or Boston lettuce, torn lengthwise in half and central ribs removed
1 large carrot, shredded
1 cup bean sprouts
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
16 chives
Layout and cover with a damp dish towel:
Eight 12-inch round sheets rice paper
Lay a damp dish towel in front of you and have a large bowl of hot water (115 to 120 degrees F) at hand. Dip 1 sheet of rice paper into the hot water, being sure to immerse it completely. It will immediately become pliable. Quickly remove it and place on the towel.

Place a piece of lettuce along the bottom edge of the rice sheet about 2 inches from the edge. Top the lettuce with one-eighth of the cooked noodles, carrots, sprouts, mint, cilantro, and chives, then with 4 shrimp halves.

Fold the sides of the rice paper over the filling, and then roll up tightly into a neat cylinder. Set seam side down on a large platter and cover with a damp towel to keep moist. Repeat with the remaining rice paper and filling ingredients.
To serve, cut each roll crosswise into 4 even pieces. Serve immediately or the rice paper will toughen up.
SOUTHEAST ASIAN PEANUT DIPPING SAUCE
A simple spicy sauce.Makes about 1 2/3 cups
Heat in a small saucepan over medium heat:
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
Add and cool, stirring, for 5 seconds:
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 small fresh chili pepper, seeded and minced
Add and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 4 minutes:
1 cup water
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup chunky peanut butter, preferably unsweetened
1 teaspoon packed light brown sugar, or to taste
3 tablespoons chopped unsalted roasted peanuts (optional)
Remove from the heat and stir in, if desired:
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint leaves
Serve warm or at room temperature.
This sauce will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 1 week.

*It's too hot and I was too lazy to do the usual "Wednesdays" entry. Come back next week.

What-Washington-Eats Wednesdays: Alberto Gonzalez

Though Al was spared a final no-confidence vote in the Senate a couple days ago, there is hardly relief in sight for the Attorney General. The Justice Department today announced an internal investigation into his politicization of the department, including his role in the firings of nine U.S. attorneys. Forget about food. I don’t think Al has eaten in a while. His nourishment most likely comes in liquid form. What would this Harvard Law-educated grandson of illegal immigrants drink? Something stiff, yet classic. Perhaps a GIN martini (see recipe below). (Vodka is for green apple martini’s and glow sticks.)

Gin is basically refined vodka. They start the same way: by distilling grain. But gin has the added benefit of juniper berries, which impart an aromatic flavor. Forget the Beefeaters. The AG needs to take it up a notch with some artisanal gin...like:

-No. 209 (San Francisco). Gentle with bergomot peel and citrus.
-Plymouth (England). First recorded martini recipe was made with this brand.

-Hendricks (Scotland) Exotic. Infused with cucumber and flavored with rose petals.
-Citadelle (France). Only gin distilled with 19 botanicals. Handcrafted one cask at a time.


Gin Martini Recipe:

Ingredients
6 ounces of freezing gin.
5 drops of dry vermouth.
2 small twists of lemon rind.
2 Picholine olives.
The mix
Fill a glass martini shaker about 3/4 full of cracked, clean ice.
Pour your gin into the shaker and let stand for sixty seconds. Count down from sixty to zero.
Approach your shaker with caution, and lovingly apply the lid.
Shake, shake, shake. About fifteen, vigorous, diagonal shakes should do the trick.
Put that shaker down and get two well chilled martini glasses from the fridge or freezer. Allow the shaker to rest for about another sixty seconds.
Into each glass drop two drops of vermouth (the fifth drop is just for good luck).
Each glass gets a twist and an olive (the olive is optional--though we love em).
Strain your very chilly gin into each glass.

*This Wednesday series is dedicated to what (in)famous Washingtonians eat.