Southern Comfort on a Rainy Day

A few weeks back, my mom-in-law came up to the DC area for the Smithsonian Folklife Festival.  While she, hubs, and I were excited for the festival, we weren't excited about the cold rain that hit the DC area on that Saturday.  Since the weather dampened our plans, we decided to go to the Mosaic District for a showing of Inside Out and a late brunch at Gypsy Soul.

This wasn't the first time Hubs visited Chef R.J. Coopers restaurant.  We visited earlier in the spring after our friends, the Taylors, recommended it. We liked it so much that we immediately put it on our list of "go-to" places, that is when we aren't trying new-to-us restaurants.

Unlike the brunch with the my college roommates, I didn't take pictures of everyone's dish.  But, everything was so good that we were all part of the clean plate club. ;-)

Starters: Deviled Eggs
Who doesn't like deviled eggs? Well, in truth I do know someone who doesn't - but I always remind him that he's missing out. Hubs and I had these the first time we came by and we enjoyed them so much that we had to get them again.  And of course they were delicious.

Chicken Liver and Waffles No lie, when I think Southern breakfast, chicken and waffles is one of the items that come to mind.  But liver?  It piqued my culinary curiosity.  I happen to like liver. Especially a well prepared liver dish. And this one met exceeded that expectation. The meat was tasty and didn’t have the mineral-flavor and grittiness that can be associated with offal.  The breading was light and crispy, but didn’t feel oily.  The waffles were soft and not too sweet.  And the mushroom and gravy that topped the dish gave it an extra meaty flavor. Another CPC-experience indeed!  And I was more than sufficiently stuffed.

Overall, this brunch experience was a nice diversion from the rain that happened outside. And writing about it today makes me want to head back to have some more of Gypsy Soul’s southern breakfast.  Will we go again? Of course!  This Mosic District restaurant is great for any time of day.

Below are some pictures of dishes that Hubs and I got from the first time we visited Gypsy Soul this past spring.

Tuna Tartar

Fried Chicken 

Broiled Whole fish over potatoes

Starting 2015 with a healthy brunch.

HAPPY 2015! OK, I'm a bit late with the New Year's post. But I have a good reason - I was on my honeymoon for the past week or so. 

Since it's resolution season, my blog related resolution is to update this blog every couple of weeks. Hubs and I go out pretty regularly, so it's a shame not to share our gastronomic adventures.

As we are all in the "healthy eating" phase of the year, I'm going to share my thoughts on a brunch hubs and I had at True Food Kitchen in the Mosaic District.  

View of the kitchen from our table. Hubs commented that it has a Founding Farmers meets Ikea feel. 

Mmm... Tea

Decision #1: Drinks? During brunch, why not? Though I had a sore throat that morning and wanted something warm and soothing. The tea choices aren't on the brunch or beverage menu - they're on the desert menu - so I had the waiter list them. Hearing all of the eight choices of teas overwhelmed me a bit, so I went with the Oolong since that was one that I recognized. (Side note: the teas are individually priced, ranging from $4-6. I ended up ordering the lone most expensive tea. Luckily, $6 doesn't break Hub's bank).

There are a bunch of different drinks, particularly the juices that sounded interesting. I've made one similar to the Kale-Aid before. I'll have to try theirs to see if it tastes similar. The bar is also well stocked with a bunch of organic wines. Plenty of reasons to try this place again during lunch or dinner. ;-)

Decision #2: Appetizer? The menu boasts some tasty looking starters, but I was in the mood for something more "breakfast" than what was offered. So we decided to get the Goji Berry Granola to share with the hubs. The granola was good - light and a bit tangy from the goji berries - and decent starter for brunch.





Decision #3: What to eat? I love breakfast foods, which often is sweet. But, that morning I was looking for something more savory. The Chicken Sausage Scramble sounded like a good fit. I think what surprised me about it was the strong shiitake mushroom favor that permeated throughout the dish. I would say that they kind of overpowered the other flavors. Overall, it was very tasty.

Hubs got the Street Tacos (not pictured) with beef, which were well seasoned. The only complaint about them was that there was a lot of cabbage that the beef was a little lost.

Decision #4: Dessert? Why not! I was a bit full, but my sweet tooth was winning out. So hubs and I shared a pomegranate sorbet. A nice and refreshing way to end the meal. 

Overall, I had a tasty little brunch with hubs at TFK. It was nice to know that the restaurant boasts the healthy factor. I look forward to coming back and trying their lunch and dinner options.  

I LOVE YOU SHEENA!!!!!  <----- AHH!! Hubs graffitied my post when I was drafting it. Had to keep it. ;-)