It doesn’t take a detective to figure out what makes this kitchen’s food so true. Although, that would open up an excellent True [Food] Detective parody opportunity (man, someone should do that in a Tastemade video…) Anyway, all of the dishes on the menu closely adhere to Dr. Andrew Weil’s anti-inflammatory diet. So, the goal is to serve food that not only tastes good, but is good for you as well. Does this place deliver on taste? If “health” food tasted this good when I was a child, I wouldn’t have cried myself to sleep during my parents’ vegetarian phase.

Although True Food Kitchen‘s menu contains some familiar dishes (street tacos, panang curry, turkey burgers), our palates were also surprised by the likes of edamame dumplings. They are as close to an asian pierogi as one could get–smooth, flavorful edamame on the inside, floating in a soy broth of deliciousness.

Oh, and do YOU know what a sea buckthorn is? Sounds dangerous, right? It’s an orange colored berry. (Don’t say you never learned anything from this blog.) And it tastes dangerously delicious (not affiliated with the pie place), especially in TFK’s Super Berry Tart. I give massive bonus points to any restaurant using an ingredient I’ve never heard of and then like 10 gold stars for making it taste real good.

Time is a flat circle and so is this Super Berry Tart…it’s also filled with the power of Sea Buckthorns.

Even Rust Cohle could find happiness in a glass of their unique, definitely healthy, thirst-quenching beverages. Where else can you get a grapefruit cinnamon soda? I’ll give you a hint: NOWHERE.

Disclaimer: Our meal was comped by Tastemade, but all opinions and references to True Detective are our own.

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Recipes

Curried Egg Salad

Winter isn’t coming. It’s here.

After returning to Castle Black from the cold, treacherous conditions, one needs a quick meal so they can return to their Night’s Watch duties. That assumes that they’re still alive, but now is hardly a time for pessimism.

When you’re trapped inside with white walkers outside during a snowstorm, you start looking for ways to use random stuff in your cabinets. (For the record, “snowstorm” in the Northern Virginia/DC metro area consists of anything over 1 inch of snow.)

So, with A SONG playing in the background and lots OF ICE outside, we thought it would be nice to add some heat AND FIRE to a fairly average dish: egg salad.

How was this accomplished? We wanted to use dragon eggs instead of chicken eggs, but we didn’t have any in our pantry. So, we added Whole Food’s Spicy Curry Rub to our boring ol’ normal eggs.

We’re already huge fans of the spice rub, which gets used for searing and grilling a multitude of proteins. (It even works great in stewed chickpeas.) So, to say it’s a universal spice mix that could possibly unite the Seven Kingdoms is an understatement.

This dish is fit for everyone, including a king sitting on the Iron Throne.

Can you tell we can’t wait for Game of Thrones to come back on April 12th?

Dracarys!

CURRIED EGG SALAD

8 XL Eggs
1/3 Heaping Cup of Mayonnaise
2 Tablespoons Currants
2 1/2 teaspoons Whole Foods Spicy Curry Rub
1/2 teaspoon Sriracha
Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Make hard boiled eggs. You already know how to do that, right? If not, check out our deviled egg recipe for tips.

2. Dice your hard boiled eggs and mix with the rest of the ingredients in a medium mixing bowl (preferably one with a lid so you don’t have to get another bowl dirty to store the egg salad).

3. Serve with crackers & pickles, on a sandwich, crostini, or just eat it out of the bowl with your fingers.

Disclaimer: No compensation or free products were provided for this post. All opinions and references to dragons are our own.

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Recipes, Videos

Leftover Pizza Bread Pudding

Recipe: Leftover Pizza Bread Pudding

Full disclosure: I didn’t expect this to actually taste all that great. Part of me wanted it to taste awful. Would’ve made for a funnier ending to the Tastemade video if I vomited into a trash can.

But unfortunately (or fortunately for our trash can), it wasn’t too bad. I suppose that shouldn’t be a surprise that cheese, tomato sauce, meats, veggies, and bread soaked in an eggy mixture tastes good. All the major food groups are covered, including the Pizza Food Group.

So, it wasn’t awful and I’d dare to say it was pretty good. Here’s the question: Does it succeed at being a suitable use for leftover pizza? Is this better than eating plain ol’ microwaved (or toaster oven-ed) spare slices?

I think so.

The microwave tends to make the crust chewy. And I by ‘chewy’ I mean an inedible substance related to the leather shoe family. The oven and toaster oven help keep the crust crispy, but it always seems to dry out the rest of the pizza. With the bread pudding, you get moist crust and gooey cheese, nicely paired with burnt cheese on the edges along with a top that has a nice crunch.

So, if you’re like us and tend to have a lot of leftover pizza hanging about, then you should give this a try.

LEFTOVER PIZZA BREAD PUDDING

A quick Google search will let you know that this isn’t a new idea. Our recipe was guided by this post from A momma with ideas… As a slight alteration, you could even increase the eggs, decrease the milk, and call this a breakfast casserole.

Two slices of leftover pizza – Any will do, but I would not recommend thin crust.
1/4 Cup Milk
2 XL Eggs

1. Whisk together the eggs and milk and set aside.

2. Cut the pizza into rectangles and squares.

3. Place the pizza into a small (single-serving) casserole dish, then pour the egg/milk mixture over the top. Cover and let it sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour (the longer, the better).

4. Remove from the refrigerator and sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top, then bake in a 350° oven for 30-45 minutes, until the top gets crusty and brown.

Reviews, Videos

Tastemade Video: Tachibana – McLean, VA

Tachibana Japanese Restaurant

We made the trek out to the ever-expanding area of McLean to check out Tachibana. It’s long been known as one of the best spots to grab some sushi in the area and its reputation was confirmed by the amount of customers that had already filled the restaurant. The place opened at noon and was nearly completely packed by noon-fifteen. A good sign that actually ended up working out in our favor: We didn’t intend on sitting at the sushi bar, but since all the tables were taken, we figured it’d be better than waiting over an hour. This made the whole experience, as the sushi chefs are all friendly, fun, and informative. After watching them, my biggest takeaway was that I need to work on my knife skills. Seriously, I can barely cut a uniform slice of french bread, let alone delicate fish flesh. Luckily abstract bread slices are totally in right now.

Not a sushi fan? No worries, as Tachibana has an extensive menu that includes various soups (ramen, soba, udon), rice bowls, and appetizers for people who prefer more “turf” than “surf.” We’ll definitely be back to check out the rice bowls, which we watched our sushi chef artfully construct for another customer. It was overflowing with meats, vegetables, sushi; everything perfectly in place. Upon seeing it, I lost all capacity for high-level thinking and grunted “Me want that.”

For a quick peek at our lunch, check out the Tastemade video above–which is 100% narrated in bad haikus (you’re welcome!)–and if you get a chance to check out Tachibana, definitely skip the tables and head for the sushi bar!

Disclaimer: My meal was comped by Tastemade, but all opinions, bad jokes, and typos are my own.

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Get in my Mouf

Food Stories

Tastemade Video: True Food Kitchen – Fairfax, VA

Curried Egg Salad

Leftover Pizza Bread Pudding

Tastemade Video: Tachibana – McLean, VA