Valentine's Day

My boyfriend's probably similar to most males and not super enthusiastic about Valentine's Day.  He did offer to make reservations at a restaurant of my choice, but the idea of overpriced "special" set menus did not appeal to me.  Instead I suggested we cook something nice together at home.  Originially we were going to have lobster tails, porterhouse steak, caprese salad and risotto.  Since we're both trying to slim down so the pants are less tight, I switched the risotto for a light cauliflower puree and we had the lobster tails a different night.

 Creamy fresh mozzarella with vine-ripened tomatoes

 My boyfriend cooked the porterhouse medium-rare in his cast-iron skillet.

We had creamy cauliflower and zucchini as well.  The cauliflower was pureed with chicken broth and was lighter than mashed potatoes.

Brut Rose from Whole Foods was nice, bubbly and went well with the taramosalata and crackers.

Super Busy Saturday

Today we had tons of errands to tackle.  After our dinner at Sushiko last night, we had enough time to do our weekly grocery shopping at Whole Foods, which helped lessen our Saturday chores.  We were going to have a lovely dinner together after shopping and errands, but our late afternoon snack was more than we should have indulged in.  Neither of us were hungry for a full meal, so after quick workouts, we settled in for something lighter.

 We love the Whole Foods brand of inexpensive wine.  The chardonnay is unoaked, so similar in body to the light pinot grigio and sauvignon blancs we often lean towards.  At $3.99, it's tough to walk out of Whole Foods with only one bottle.

 We picked up a half baguette of fresh multigrain bread, 2 lobster tails (1 day special for $5.99 each), and celery.

Which is better, a Maine lobster roll or Connecticut-style? 
Why choose just one when you can have both?

I cooked the lobster tails and made two types of mini-lobster rolls.  The chilled celery, mayonnaise Maine-style lobster roll and the warm butter-poached with celery lobster roll. 

***

My boyfriend liked them both, but I think preferred the warm butter version.

Post-Rehearsal Snack

I met the girls for a delicious dinner at Lyon Hall while my boyfriend was busy rehearsing with his bandmate out in Vienna.  I decided it would be nice to make him a little snack when he finished up.  Since it was pretty late, I tried to keep it on the light side.

 Roast beef with horseradish, grapes, olives, cheddar, mozzarella, Parano cheese and celery sticks.

I also made a few deviled eggs with salmon roe because he loves ikura.  With a little white wine, he was a happy boy.

If you haven't tried Three Wishes from your local Whole Foods, I recommend it.  It's WF's answer to Trader Joe's 2 Buck Chuck.  The wine is made in California, yet the Chardonnay is not too sweet nor oak-y.  The best part, they're $3.99 each.  So pick up a bottle, or 4 like me.

Pre-Scotch Tasting Nibbles at Matchbox

I'm a firm believer that nothing good will come from drinking scotch on an empty stomach.  To prepare for the tasting later that evening, I met my fellow scotch afficiandos at Matchbox.  Oddly, a table for two would be a 15 minute wait, but a table for 4 with half the party present, could be sat immediately.  Strange rules Matchbox, but whatever gets me closer to ordering some nibbles is fine to me. 

 I'm a fan of wine from New Zealand.  I've tried Babich, Cloudy Bay, Huai, and Matua Valley sauvignon blanc from Marlborough (northeast tip of the south island), and found all of them thoroughly enjoyable.  We tried this bottle of Craggy Range from Martinborough (southern end of the north island) and I liked it.  ($32)   Not a bad markup, since it retails around $20 http://www.craggyrange.com/

 Tuna tartare appetizer ($9)

 small simple salad ($6) 

Small Fire and Smoke pizza ($13)

Large Veggie pizza ($18)

Screwtop Wine Bar Is A Neighborhood Gem

Last night I checked out a small wine bar in Clarendon with a few friends.  It's tucked away on Fillmore Street, and not close to the restaurant row on Wilson and Clarendon Boulevards.  Perhaps that's part of its charm.  Screwtop Wine Bar http://www.screwtopwinebar.com/ has a lovely selection of cheese and bottles of wine for purchase as well as to enjoy in their wine bar.

  truffled popcorn 

 Small and cozy with a row of tables for four next to the windows. 

Tables are seat yourself, and luckily one of our group arrived early enough to find an empty one. 

 Small bar with stools for smaller groups.

We tried a Pinot Grigio and a lovely Spanish Albarino.

 Bread basket for the cheese plate. The nutty flatbread was my favorite.

 3 Cheese Platter ($17).  Tillamook Cheddar from Oregon, Taleggio from Italy and a Danish Blue from Denmark.  The plum chutney from Virginia Chutney Company really complemented the blue cheese ($3.50) and is a highly recommended add-on.

 Selection of cheese for purchase.

 They also have a wide selection of charcuterie.

Retail wall of wine.

***

Screwtop has a monthly wine club that I'm very tempted to join.  $39.99 per month for 2 bottles and a cheese pairing with additional discounts.  The owner stopped by our table and was very helpful in suggesting a third bottle.  We ended up enjoying a lovely South American red with a lightness of body akin to a pinot noir.  If you haven't tried out this wine bar in Clarendon yet, you definitely should.