Foodventures: Washington, DC

My last visit to DC was 20 years ago when I first moved to the US at the age of four, an age far too young to appreciate what a fun city it is.

Of course, now that I actually care about money, the first thing that struck me about DC is the plethora of free activities; I especially enjoyed the Smithsonian, a museum so expansive and fascinating that I would have gladly paid for it. I highly recommend DC to anyone looking for a quick get away; flying into Baltimore (an hour away, where I lived for a year and a half in my childhood and is a city definitely NOT worth visiting) from Chicago was just $87 round trip!

But onto the food! By far the most important part of any trip across the country (other than friends, of course).

Parachute

To call Parachute 'creative Korean-American dining' is a misnomer; I'd prefer to call it 'American fine dining with a Korean twist', as the menu items had very little in common with the food I usually eat in the motherland. Nevertheless, the concept intrigued me enough to warrant a visit into a neighborhood that I otherwise never frequent.

The menu was full of intriguing items that embodied the creativity I often look for in a restaurant, but I wasn't too pleased with the interior; aside from a few tables on either side, most of the restaurant consisted of an extremely long table in the middle of the room at which multiple unrelated parties would sit side by side.

MOTD: Bacon and prosciutto mac & cheese

I've been told that combining a cheap meat like bacon with a luxurious product like prosciutto is sinful, but combining two things that I like into a single dish is, to me, an ambitious endeavor at worst.

I used one part sharp cheddar and one part gruyere; that gave the roux a fondue cheese-like consistency, which I am all about. I also added a touch of sriracha as well as chili powder and red pepper flakes into the mix before pouring it over the macaroni.

WNTD: 5 Burgers in Chicago That Are Better than Au Cheval's

Unless you have been living under a rock, you may have noticed that anyone who's anyone has been raving about Au Cheval's infamous cheeseburger. Ever since Food Network deemed its double cheeseburger the best burger in America, the lines at Au Cheval - which were already unmanagable at one or two hours on weekdays - have nearly doubled in size.

So is it worth it?

Absolutely not. I fancy myself a bit of a burger connoisseur, and I'll be sharing with you 5 burgers I have had that are better than Au Cheval's, and without the four hour wait.

The best coffee cake

Today's post is a short one but a must. This is a coffee cake recipe I have been swearing by for a couple years now. I deliberately avoid making it often because it always gets demolished within days, and that much butter and sugar is never a good idea for anyone. It's that good.

Tunnel of cinnamon sugar