Friday, March 5, 2010

Team Canada Struck Gold Twice... & So Did I!

There is an old adage that says time flies when you're having fun. Well, if dinner lasts for five hours and lunch is two hours long, it is safe to surmise that all parties involved are having a great time. And if the food is good, all the better!

I was the lucky recipient of two celebratory meals this past week since Team Canada beat Team USA in both Men's and Women's Ice Hockey. That's right, Team Canada = Gold Medal x 2! It was nice to be able to go out and celebrate the two wins afterwards, since I was all but ridiculed for being the only Canadian populating the bar where I watched the hockey games. A nice young man had the gall to get me a Jager shot before the final men's game, for "good luck." Luck, schmuck... Who's buying dinner and lunch now, eh?


Dinner was at a surprise location, Marvin's on 14th and U St. I am more familiar with this establishment as a hangout for restaurant movers and shakers, post work, not as a place to have a decent meal. To tell you the truth, I never even noticed a dining area, since I've always raced to the rooftop patio to meet up with my restaurant friends! I would describe Marvin’s as a bistro slash gastropub. A casual environment, with fancy food that had a French flair. I later found out that it had more of a Belgian influence, which is really just French food in German-like portions! Appetizers were seared scallops and duck confit. The scallops were nicely caramelized, though they were probably cooked just a couple minutes too long. The confit, however, was perfection! Evenly cooked, with the meat literally falling off the bone. To. Die. For. For the main course, I wanted something light but filling (yes, an oxymoron) and found it in the pumpkin ravioli. Some chefs can be a little heavy-handed with pastas, but not the ones at Marvin’s. The pasta was plentiful but not heavy, the filling was sweet but not overpowering. It was, shall we say, a “smahht” choice!

On to lunch in the District. I am familiar with Corner Bakery, not from my own experience but from the Professor's. Yes, Anaheim scramble, oatmeal with all the toppings on the side, and most importantly, the fruit cup. However, it was lunch I was having so I had no clue what to get. After perusing the menu, I went with the D.C. Chicken Salad on Steakhouse Rye. It has roasted chicken, crisp green apples, currants, red onions, celery, mayonnaise, and toasted almonds with lettuce and tomatoes. Yes on all the ingredients, except for the tomatoes, which I promptly removed. I loved this sandwich! The combination of tart green apples, sweet currants and onions is something that I have always liked, and lucky for me, they were all in the sammy!

It brought great joy to see Team Canada win both Olympic Gold Medals this past week. But it was even better that I got to experience two awesome dining experiences as a result. The food was great, the company was so awesome, that I would say it was “wicked awesome.”  Looks like this lil Canuck struck gold as well!

2007 14th Street NW
Washington, DC   20009
202.797.7171
Marvin on Urbanspoon

[Editor--No one was injured from the lame attempts at a Bostonian accent!]

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