Weekend wonderful-ness

A weekend of culinary goodness awaits.

Tonight: dinner at Penn Quarter's critically acclaimed contemporary American restaurant, 701, one of many local restaurants participating in this week's "Appetite Stimulus Plan." The deal is similar to Restaurant Week. $35 will get you three courses at some of DC's top establishments, a fine deal for both the taste buds and the wallet. Today's the last day to participate, so hit up OpenTable to snag a last-minute reservation.

And now, onto the important part: the food. For the Appetite Stimulus Plan, 701 is probably offering a fixed menu of some kind, but that will hardly matter if the food lives up to its reputation. With exciting offerings like Smoked Bacon Wrapped Sea Scallops (with melted foie gras, blackberry gastrique, and tobiko creme fraiche), and Sesame Crusted Salmon (with chilled thai glass noodle salad, green melon vinaigrette, and honey lavender glaze), 701 has garnered attention for Chef Bobby Varua's gently playful cuisine, whose delicate flavor combinations are enhanced, but not overwhelmed, by Asian influences. Dishes like Chestnut Ravioli (with beurre noisette, cider gastrique, and apple endive salad) and Stuffed Muscovy Duck Leg (with foie gras butter, cranberries, pumpkin veloute, and poire williams tapioca pearls) also reveal a commitment to the seasonal bounty.

I know that restaurants sometimes have a hard time meeting the demands of the overly zealous, minimally patient crowds attracted by these kinds of promotions, and I am anticipating that it might be rather hectic on a Friday night, particularly given 701's prime location in the city's theatre and entertainment district. I plan to approach the experience with an open mind, a deep pocketful of patience, and quite possibly, a sample or two from 701's impressive wine menu, to tide me over.

Saturday: Thanksgiving potluck party with friends. You wouldn't run a marathon without completing several fairly long runs beforehand. The same logic applies with Turkey Day, my friends. If you want to finish your plate on Thanksgiving proper, it makes sense to warm up beforehand with a comparable meal. Hence, the pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving. I'm making Sweet Potato Pie Bars to bring.

Sweet Potato Pie Bars
1 (18.25-ounce) yellow cake mix, divided use
6 tablespoons margarine OR butter, melted and divided use
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups mashed cooked sweet potatoes
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided use
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 large egg whites
1 (5-ounce) can evaporated milk
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Set aside 1 cup yellow cake mix.
In a mixing bowl, blend together remaining cake mix, 4 tablespoons melted margarine, and egg; mix well. Pat mixture into the bottom of a 13 x 9 x 2-inch pan coated with nonstick cooking spray. In a separate mixing bowl, combine sweet potatoes, nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, sugar, egg whites, and evaporated milk until creamy. Pour filling over prepared crust.
Mix reserved 1 cup cake mix, remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, remaining 2 tablespoons melted margarine, brown sugar, and pecans and sprinkle over filling.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until filling is set.

Photo from 701's website.

In a Thanksgiving kind of mood

I'm heading home to Chicago for a midwestern Thanksgiving this year, and I am totally excited to help my mom cook The Big Meal. A grocery shopping jaunt to Harris Teeter this afternoon amplified my anticipation; the store is already brimming with giant frozen turkeys, special holiday displays, jars of cranberry jelly, and the like. I wandered the aisles aimlessly, taking in the festive atmosphere (and the free samples!).

My sister makes her famous mashed potatoes each year, but all the other dishes are up for grabs. I've been scouting around the web for inspiration, which isn't difficult since every remotely food-related site switches to Thanksgiving-pocalypse mode this time of year, complete with countdowns and turkey slide shows. Amidst the frenzy, I truly enjoy the measured wisdom imparted by Gourmet. No stranger to the culinary obsession surrounding the holiday (exhibit A: its guide to "achieving turkey perfection"), the magazine (and its website) nonetheless maintains its composure with its clean, low-key design, and intelligent approach. In a smart acknowledgment of diverse food traditions as a metaphor for America's melting pot greatness, Gourmet is offering five traditional Thanksgiving menus, each inspired by a different region of the country. Each menu, of course, includes a turkey, and I'm finding myself particularly intrigued by the Southern-style Roast Turkey with Herbed Oyster Stuffing and Giblet Gravy. The "California Eatin" three-onion stuffing also sounds delicious. The Northeastern nutmeg ice cream would be the perfect way to end the big meal.

This month's print version of the magazine offers a Latino-inspired Thanksgiving menu (adobo Turkey, chipotle meatballs, cornbread and chorizo stuffing, sweet potato coconut puree, and apple pie with Mexican brown sugar), as well as a Mediterranean meal (braised artichokes, mushroom and farro pie, mache salad, parmesan-roasted butternut squash, cranberry sauce with dates and orange, and a pumpkin tart with anise-seed crust).

I've honestly no idea how authentic these menus might be for the various regions and peoples they claim to represent, but I love reading about all the different variations out there. I would welcome hearing about everyone's Thanksgiving traditions and must-haves, recipes, ideas, etc.

(Currently thankful for: wild sweet orange Tazo tea, incredible Mexican food and at Oyamel last night with a good friend who I hadn't seen in a long time, natural Greek yogurt with honey and granola for breakfast, multi-vitamins, freshly brewed coffee, good friends, an amazing family, my new job and colleagues, Barbara Kingsolver's Animal, Vegetable, Miracle on audiobook, the bright yellow leaves blanketing my neighborhood's sidewalks, and, of course, the Gourmet subscription renewal my sister gave me for my birthday).

Photo of caramel pie by Romulo Yanes, who does beautiful work for Gourmet and others.