blue duck tavern

It may seem like a post about a restaurant in Washington, D.C., where I haven't lived for over a year, comes from out of the blue (ha ha!). But I read at Obama Foodorama that the Obamas recently went to Blue Duck Tavern to celebrate their wedding anniversary and it brought back memories of Mike and me dining there. During our last week in the States we wanted to treat ourselves to some of the finer points of American life. We lived close to the restaurant and knew of its celebrity sightings. So we thought, why not?

It was downright delicious. Mike had their signature duck and I had chicken roasted in buttermilk and herbs. The waiter and the chef were both aware of the gluten-free diet and because of the open kitchen design, I could have spied on the chef while he prepared the meal if I'd wanted to. But I trusted him.

I honestly can't remember what we had for appetizers, salads, sides, and desserts, but I remember being full and satisfied at the end of the night. Looking at their menu the only thing that rings a bell is the hand-cut triple fries; I think Mike got them. It's possible the menu has changed. Blue Duck Tavern prides itself on using locally available ingredients. Most of the meats and vegetables come from farms in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast regions. Seasonal harvests and other natural issues will have a tendency to change menus that rely on local goods.

Blue Duck Tavern is located at the Hyatt at 24 & M Streets NW, Washington D.C., a couple blocks from the Foggy Bottom Metro.

lilit cafe, bethesda, maryland

I now know that I don't have to go all the way to Edinburgh for gluten-free pizza and beer! Lilit Cafe in Bethesda, Maryland, offers a partial gluten-free menu with baked goods from Sweet Sin Bakery.

It's a funny little deli-pizza parlour-liquor store. They don't serve alcohol or other beverages, but you can walk to the convenience store section and choose from water, sodas, beer, and wine (which they'll uncork for you free of charge), and bring it back to your table to drink. For beers and sodas you can buy a whole 6-pack or single servings. We knew we were back on the east coast when we saw Old English 40s along with the selection of "fine" wines and beers. They offer a gf beer, Redbridge, which isn't my favorite gf beer but will do in a pinch. I think they also had Woodchuck ciders, which are gf.

The gf menu features pizzas and deli sandwiches. I decided on the margarita pizza. When it was served, it looked and smelled delicious. But one bite proved the crust to be mediocre. It was obviously a frozen crust that had been reheated, poorly, with toppings. I considered sending it back but I was so hungry, and the cheese and sauce were tasty hot, so I plowed on. When I brought the leftovers home and heated them up later, I was able to get a hot, crisp crust. The leftovers were better than the in-restaurant pizza. I wasn't completely turned off by the pizza experience though and will go back to try again (especially once we move closer to the Red Line--too much hassle to go from where we live now). The mental aspect of sitting down in a restaurant and ordering pizza and sandwiches is so positive that it outweighs a less-than-perfect meal in my opinion.

Desserts! I was so stuffed from my pizza and beer that I could barely sample the gelato. They have a wide range of freshly made gelatos and I'm looking forward to going back to try some of them. They also have packages of cupcakes, cookies, cakes, and breads from Sweet Sin Bakery for sale. I bought a 6-pack of chocolate brownie cupcakes. They. Were. Amazing. So moist, which is rare for gf baked goods. We were there for dinner on a Friday night... by Sunday I was eating my 5th cupcake for breakfast (I let Mike eat one). Hey, I don't get to eat chocolate cake often, so I indulged.

Lilit Cafe also has a full "regular" menu and plenty of vegetarian choices on both menus. Sandwiches and pizzas can also be made to-go, and since you can buy beverages there and other convenience store items, you can get everything you need in one stop. Even smokes!

Lilit Cafe
7921 Old Georgetown Road (about 1km from the Bethesda Metro stop)
Bethesda, MD
(301) 654-5454
10am - 9pm, Mon - Thus
10am - 10pm, Fri - Sat
10am - 6pm, Sunday

E Mart International Supermarket

E Mart International Supermarket
Originally uploaded by girl_in_bleue

(I wrote this on Yelp! first.)

The produce here is phenomenal and it's the best reason to go. It's so fresh and the selection is huge. There are Asian fruits and vegetables that I'd never heard of before. There are also things I'd heard of, read on restaurant menus, but had never seen what it looks like before. And whenever I take something home and cut into it, the fresh scent is amazing. Cucumbers, mango, avocado, you name it--it can be found here and it will be great.

This is an international grocery store focussing mostly on Asian foods, so you'll find a huge variety of rice and soy products, anything you'll need for Asian cooking. My husband lived in Okinawa and traveled through South Korea and has found some of his favorite brands here. I'm gluten-free so the abundance of rice products makes shopping and cooking a breeze for me.

Neither of us are seafood eaters, but they have a huge selection of fresh critters from the water. Some are still alive! There's often a bucket of clicking-clacking blue crabs hanging out for sale.

There are limited Mexican, South American, and Middle Eastern brands and a handful of familiar American brands. (If you can't find an American brand you're looking for, check out the CVS on the other side of the shopping center.)

Downsides: The dairy is iffy. All the cheese and milk I've gotten from there has gone bad much sooner than it should have. (But it was great for the first day or two.) Some of the dairy is beyond expiration dates on the shelves, so check carefully. Also, the smell of the fish market wafts throughout the whole store. It can be distracting. It's somewhat disorganized--coffee and coffee filters are in two different aisles on opposite ends of the store. The selection of beer and wine isn't great. And if you're wary of products from China, read the labels carefully because a lot of stuff is imported from there.

But all the fresh stuff is so cheap! The bill is never as high as I think it's going to be. And fruit is healthier than cheese, so maybe I shouldn't be buying so much dairy anyway.

E Mart International Grocery

8100 Arlington Blvd.

Falls Church, VA

703-891-4355