Is this thing on? 1...2...3

Okay, so thanks to Miss Ashleigh Hill's suggestion, I now have a blogspot.
This entire blog will be dedicated to my journey to becoming the next Phyllis Richman, the next Todd Kliman (Dining Editor of The Washingtonian) ... well I can dream, right?

Well I will settle for more eloquent writer. I know that I have a lot of work to do, but there is one thing that I have on my side. It's determination.

I will tell you ... but I am going to sound obsessive compulsive. Since August 1997 (yes, over ten years) I have been collecting the dining reviews from The Washington Post Magazine dining section. Phyllis Richman was the food critic for years until Tom Sietsema (The Washington Post's restaurant critic) came along. In addition, I have followed The Washingtonians 100 Very Best Restaurants for years. It's my biggest goal, dream, highest aspiration to one day be able to say that I have visited all 100. It changes every single year, but so far I think I have been to about 15%. Again, I track it, obsessively.
One accomplishment thus far is that I have already earned the esteemed title of "VIP member" of Opentable.com. This was accomplished just yesterday. I honored my 12th reservation this year to a participating OpenTable restaurant, Farrah Olivia by Morou. This Chef is best known for his "Modern Tribal Cuisine". It makes perfect sense, since he grew up in the Ivory Coast. He is by far one of Washington's best Chefs. With the use of a wide range of exotic ingredients and unique culinary style, Morou has enlightened both food Aficionados and the every day diner.



My lunch at Farrah Olivia was another truly amazing experience and I expected nothing less. If you have read my other dining review posts, from a previous site, you will find that I already raved about my first experience at Farrah Olivia.
In late January, I visited Farrah Olivia for the first time to celebrate my 30th birthday with my husband, Ben. Yesterday, I went to lunch with a co-worker and I knew that no matter what I decided, I would not be disappointed. I was pleased to try something new -- Quinoa. This delicate side was paired with my Chicken Breast. Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wa) is like a very course grain. It looks like a couscous ...
and comes from South America. I thought it was amazing at how the texture really pops ... like of like roe on a California Roll. it The Quinoa included small sqaured carrots, used in other of Morou's dishes, green onions, raisins, and fresh ginger. It was truly divine -- like nothing I have ever tasted before. My chicken breast was not your usual, thin, flat filet. This was a real acutal chicken breast. There was even a bone sticking out the top. The presentation was unique to Morou. The chicken was on the plate sitting besides a swirl of brown mustard sauce. The sauce used whole mustard seeds. The yellowish-brown color was very attractive.

I also had the Beef Tenderloin sandwich. The beef was a little pink on the inside and incredibly tender, not at all chewy. The beef was drizzled in melted blue cheese, which I loved and served on a soft french roll. I will definately go back and order this as my own next time. The best part of this dish was the battered onion rings. You have never tasted onion rings like these.
These were like funnel cake good. The batter was the perfect combination of sweet and salty. It doesn't get much better than that.
I highly recommend the Prix Fixe Menu of two courses for $16 and three courses for $20. For this quality of food, it's a bargain! Check it out... I promise your taste buds will thank you.

Website: http://www.farraholiviarestaurant.com/ct/index.html
Address: 600 Franklin St., Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone: (703) 778-2233