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Posted by Stephanie Meyer on Apr 10, 2007 at 12:08am

Happy April! Ack, I know it’s been terribly long since I’ve posted. Craziness, what can I say? I’ve not been much in town, in fact, Nathan and I just returned from a spring-break trip to Washington, DC, just the two of us. Such fun! We arrived Thursday, checked into our hotel, and immediately set out for the White House. After a bit of walking around, we made our way back to the hotel, changed for dinner, and walked over to Bistrot D’Oc for a lovely French dinner. Nathan’s first taste of escargot was not a disaster – he didn’t much appreciate the snail, but he seriously dug the herb-y, garlicky butter soaked up with lots of baguette slices. Yeah, baby!

We set out Friday morning for the memorial/west end of The Mall. After touring the Washington, World War II, Lincoln, Korean War, and Vietnam War memorials, we made our way to a quick and tasty turkey-sandwich lunch at The Corner Deli. As we continued on to the National Portrait Gallery, we spontaneously popped into Risorante Tosca to score a dinner res for later that night. And what a dinner, wow, Nathan had a veal and prosciutto-stuffed ravioli in sage butter, delicious. I had a whole broiled Dover sole, served alongside braised lentils and fennel. Nathan downed a serious tiramisu trifle for dessert, then we toddled off to our hotel for a good night’s sleep.

On Saturday we veered toward the east end of The Mall, opening with a very crowded walk through the National Air and Space Museum. Afterward we met up with my aunt Mary and uncle Bruce, in DC visiting their son, my cousin Craig. Mary, Bruce, Craig, Nathan, and I lunched at Union Station before making our way back to our hotels via the Capitol and Supreme Court. We all met up again a couple of hours later, with my cousin Kelly, who also lives in DC, hoping to score dinner at Jaleo. Uh, no dice, a two-hour wait at best at 7 pm on a Saturday night. Darn! Really wanted to sample their famously fabulous tapas but it wasn’t meant to be (Chef Jose Andres’ book, Tapas A Taste of Spain in America, is one of my very favorites; in honor of the Jaleo meal I didn’t have, I’ve posted a Chef Andres’ recipe for Potatoes Rioja-Style with Chorizo in comments, below). Instead, we stumbled into a lucky table at Zola, where I dug into a lovely papardelle topped with perfectly crispy duck confit and wild cherries. Decadent, delicious.

And then Sunday, back home. Spring break over, right back in the action, whew, I’ve hardly caught my breath. Up next, dinner Monday night with Rudy Maxa & Ana Scofield and Stu & Debbie Williams at The Sample Room, which RAWKED! Stay tuned…

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  1. By stephanie on April 15, 2007 at 9:49AM

    Potatoes Rioja-Style with Chorizo
    From Tapas A Taste of Spain in America by Jose Andres
    Serves 4

    3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
    2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
    1 small onion, peeled and finely chopped (about 1 cup)
    7 oz. chorizo sausage, cut into ½-inch-thick slices
    ½ lb. Idaho (russet) potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
    1 tsp. pimenton (Spanish sweet paprika)
    1 ½ tsp. salt

    Warm the olive oil over low heat in a large shallow pan. Add the garlic and cook until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and tender and have turned a light brown color, at least 20 minutes. You want the onions to caramelize. If they start to get too dark, add ½ Tbsp. of water to keep them from burning. When the onions are caramelized, add the chorizo and continue frying until it too is browned, about 2 minutes. Place the potatoes in the pan and stir to coat them in the oil. Cook for 10 minutes. Add the pimenton and the salt, pour in water to cover, and bring to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the potatoes are cooked through and the water has reduced by half, about 20 minutes. You’ll end up with a wonderful, thick stew.