BigEats

Real Name:

Bruce

Location:

Washington DC

Best meal I ever ate:

February 2007 at the Mandarin Oriental in San Francisco, an unforgettable meal! Honorable mention is Roppongi Sushi in La Jolla California in June 2007....

My current drink of choice:

Full bodied and complex red wine, not too tannic, in the cabernet-merlot-cabernet franc blend style; or else a Bombay Sapphire martini, very dry....

I really wish I could:

Flip food in a saute pan like real chefs, have a foodie discussion with Alton Brown, travel to Alsace with Anthony Bourdain, or eat at the chef's table when Thomas Keller is cooking....

My "Go-to" dinner party dish:

Meatloaf stuffed with full sausages, or for a small gathering, my 3-mustard marinated turkey kabobs on the grill....

My favorite comfort food:

My Mother's Warak Enab and Kibbee Nayah, straight from northern Syria....

My top 5 favorite restaurants:

At the higher end in the general DC area, Inn at Little Washington, CityZen at Mandarin Oriental Washington DC, Kaz Sushi Bistro on Eye St., Kinkaid's on 20th St. and either Ceiba or Zaytinya (or Jose Andres' other two -- Cafe Atlantico or Jaleo)....below that level it's Four Sisters Vietnamese in Seven Corners, Lebanese Taverna in Arlington, Full Kee in Chinatown, Ray's the Steaks in Arlington and Market Inn behind the Capitol....

My most tattered cookbooks:

"La Methode" and "La Technique" by Jacques Pepin and "The Way to Cook" by Julia Child