Columbia Room

COLUMBIA ROOM
BAR
http://www.passengerdc.com/columbia
Food Decor Service Cost
27 25 25 $64

December 12th, 2010


My boyfriend took me here as a surprise to celebrate my 24th birthday.
I knew it was easy to miss, but we completely missed the door and walked all the way to the back of the restaurant before we flagged someone down. They went to a side door, knocked on it, and slid it open.

We were in.

The host ushered us in and we got the last two seats at the bar. She pulled the chairs out for us, warning that it was a tad like “tetris pieces”.

Right when we were seated, we were given orange and clove scented hand towels, which really reminded me of Christmas time as a child and making clove-studded orange ornaments for the tree. We were then served a hot buttered rum with a fat wash and cinnamon stick. It warmed you from the inside in more ways than one and went down smoothly, They were served in small glass cups with handles on them and raised decorations, the type of cup that you would serve a festive holiday punch such as egg nog in. Throughout the menu we were served a cool and refreshing cucumber water. I don’t like cucumber or water, but this water was delicious and cleansed the palate when needed.

We waited a few minutes for the next drink, which was a deep red/purple drink with celery bitters, vsop, dubloodner(?), and a soaked olive. I don’t like any of the things in the drink and actually hate olives and celery, but this drink was good. The drink was served with a bite from the kitchen: crostini with Cabernet reduction, chicken sausage, and parsnip purée. It was good, but just a bite.

Next, we got the opportunity to talk to Derek and explain what types of flavors and profiles we like, then he custom made our next drink. I got a December 5th repeal day drink using Canton ginger liqueur, repeal day bitters, lemon peel, and brandy. My boyfriend said he liked gin and received a drink that came with the following intro “GQ says I make the best dry martini in the US.” It was comprised of Plymouth dry gin and dry vermouth. I don’t like either, so I didn’t try it, but I heard good things about it. We were served a small bowl of truffle popcorn with this dish. Other drinks I saw being made were the Corpse Reviver #2 and a Pomegranate Manhattan.

We were then told that our menu was concluded, but we had the option of extending it. Of course we opted to extend it and Derek set upon making our second custom drink. I got a brandy Alexander with creme de cacao, VSOP, and nutmeg. My boyfriend got a twist on a dark and stormy I believe with really spicy bleinheim Ginger ale, lime, and something else. It was served with a bent stainless steel straw, which made the whole drink have a certain retro refinement and whimsy.

I would love to go again, it really is a great experience! It is a tad pricey though, and you need to go with someone that likes mixed drinks and that you like talking to. The service here is great, but there is only one bartender for the whole room (10 people at the bar with a back row as well), but when he works he way to you, he actually listens to what you say. I would recommend getting there either early or late so you can get a seat at the bar. This way, you can see the hand cut ice blocks, the quilted glass beakers, all the spices and ingredients lined up on the wall, and the swirled, long metal stirrers in their full glory.

The decor is transporting–a mix between a retro laboratory and a speak easy pharmacy. The music was a bit mis-matched when we first sat down, but as the playlist continued the music became more representative of the decor and worked to create a cohesive atmosphere. It really felt like a safe, secret pocket of intimacy hidden away from the hustle and bustle of the cold, blustery city night that was waiting right outside.

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Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds with Salt

Back in October, my aunt came to visit my family and we carved pumpkins. I couldn’t let all of the meat and seeds go to waste, so I separated them out and ate them! When I carved a pumpkin a few weeks later for Halloween with my boyfriend, we roasted some more seeds. (Bonus pumpkin carving pictures below!)

The meat went to a Pumpkin Coconut Curry Soup, inspired by Mango & Tomato’s recipe. I topped the soup with roasted pumpkin seeds and a few drops of white truffle oil.

The seeds were cooked three ways: 1) just with sea salt 2) cinnamon & sugar 3) spicy. The spicy ones were the best, with the sweet seeds just being thrown away. We halved the recipe for the seeds and used the same pan, one half being spicy and the other half being sweet.

On the left: Spicy, On the right: Sweet

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds, With Flavor

  • ~1 1/2 cups pumpkin seeds
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil or any other oil
  • 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes (or any other spice)
  • 3/4 teaspoon another type of spice, such as paprika, cayenne pepper, or a blend

Preheat to 350°F. Toss the seeds with the oil until coated thoroughly, then add seasonings. Salt to taste. Spread seeds on non-stick sheet in one flat layer. Bake until the seeds are golden brown (~30 minutes). Every 10 minutes or so, stir the seeds around.

Pumpkin Seeds on FoodistaPumpkin Seeds

Thanksgiving 2010

Every year we go over to my paternal Grandparents’ house and have a delicious Thanksgiving feast. My grandparents are both from Hawai’i, but they’ve traveled and lived all over the world, including six years in Germany when my dad was growing up.

Because of this, our meals are always a melting pot of food from all over the world. Whenever I eat at family gatherings, I can just taste the love in the food. It makes you warm all over, especially when you know everything is home made.

Thanksgiving 2010

This year we had:

  • Turkey with Gravy
  • Cranberry Sauce
  • Green Beans
  • Candied Yams
  • Rolls
  • Mashed Potatoes
  • Stuffing/Dressing
  • Guava Chiffon Pie
  • Pumpkin Chiffon Pie
  • Mini Pumpkin Whoopie Pies (I used this recipe)

I really love my grandma’s yams and stuffing. Some of the stuffing she bakes inside the turkey and some she bakes outside so she can mix them together to get the perfect consistency. After we eat our big dinner at around 3pm, we drink some coffee, watch football, and play games.

We usually end up at home around 9pm, where my dad has been making his “Aorta Soup” in the slow-cooker all day. It’s that little something that hits the spot after a big, early meal so you don’t go to bed hungry. I don’t know how all the flavors are still fresh and vegetables still crispy after stewing several hours, but this soup is delicious. Sadly, no pictures of that since I ate mine up immediately before heading home.

What are some traditions you have for when you’re with your family?

Thanks to my mom and sister for snapping pictures!

A Salty Adventure

Hawaiian Sea Salts: Red & Pink

Last month I saw a tweet from Marx Foods about a photography challenge they were having for salt. I told them I was interested and I received 5 samples of cooking and finishing salts: Hawaiian Red Salt, Hawaiian Pink Salt, Ginger Salt, Espresso Salt & Flor de Sal. I was tasked to create two photographs: one of just salt, and the other of a finished dish that shows the salt well.

Immediately, the dish kālua pig popped into my head. I’m in the process of planning a vacation with my family and my sister’s Girl Scout troop to Hawai’i, so Hawai’i has been on my mind. We intend to have a “Hawai’i Day” next spring before going on the trip to expose the girls to the food and culture of Hawai’i so they don’t experience culture shock when they land on the island.

Kālua pig is one of the most popular dishes in Hawai’i, and is featured everywhere from the diner-style mix plate lunches locals eat midday, or the elaborate luau feasts held for special occasions (or tourists). It’s also one of the hardest dishes to find on the mainland, especially the east coast! We usually bring our kālua pig with us from Hawai’i on the plane, frozen, or have it shipped to us from the islands.

But, seeing the Hawaiian red & pink salt in the package from Marx Foods reminded me that the only ingredients in kālua pig are pig and Hawaiian sea salt. I then began to research how to recreate a mini imu in my oven at home. It seemed that all the recipes were for larger pieces of meat, and varied on temperature and time.

I settled on a 1.75 piece of pork butt and cooked it at 350 for  2 hours and 45 minutes. I cut 1/4 inch deep slices every inch and rubbed it with 2 tablespoons of a mixture of red and pink Hawaiian salt and 2 tablespoons of liquid smoke. I wrapped the pork with banana leaves secured with toothpicks and then wrapped with aluminum foil. I set it in a small baking dish and then put it in a larger dish. I added 2 cups water in the outer dish and set in the oven. I took the pork out after 2 hours to check on it, added 45 more minutes and 1 more cup of water around the dish. After 2:45 the pork was perfectly tender and easy to shred with 2 forks. I would suggest serving this dish hot and fresh. If you have leftovers, sprinkle with water before heating up or serve with a sauce to add some moisture back in. I ate some with rice and some red chile tortillas for lunch.

Flor de Sal, Ginger, and Espresso Salts with Milk Chocolate Caramels

In my excitement to make this dish, I forgot that all of the beautiful salt would dissolve when cooking! I then used the other three salts on some milk chocolate caramels and shared them with my friend Stephanie.

The ginger salt was surprisingly very strong and spicy flavored. After eating the caramels, the spice lingered in the back of our throats for a while. The espresso salt was a tad milder and sweeter than the ginger salt. The flor de sal was strong and straight-forward and paired perfectly with the sweet chocolate and gooey caramel.The salt granules were softer and smaller than the other two flavors, so the salt was easier to mix with the chocolate and caramel while tasting.

While we were tasting pork and caramels, we also decided to try the new Top Chef: Just Desserts truffles from Godiva that I had picked up over the weekend.

From top left, clockwise: Acai Berry – Dark chocolate ganache layered with acai, rose, and berry ganache in a dark chocolate shell decorated with a red heart; Passion Fruit – White chocolate and passion fruit ganache in a white chocolate shell; Chocolate Mendiant – Dark chocolate ganache between two dark chocolate disks, topped with bits of organic dried apricot, tart cherry, and sea salt; Green Tea – Matcha tea mousse center in a white chocolate shell decorated with green stringing.

The berry ganache tasted like alcohol or cough syrup, the passion fruit was bright, fresh, and smooth, the mendiant was rich but balanced with the salt, and the green tea was far too rich with the white chocolate and too much artificial green tea flavor in the center.

Chocolate, Almond, and Salted Caramel Cupcakes

On October 15th I attended a surprise going-away party for one of my best(est) friends, Stephanie. Stephanie is moving with her boyfriend from Washington DC to Pittsburgh, and though I’ll be able to see her every once in a while, it won’t be as frequent as when she was living a few miles away from me.

For her surprise party, I decided to combine some of her favorite things: almonds; salted caramel; coffee; chocolate. I found out about the surprise party a day or two before, so I was limited to the local Whole Foods for ingredients. I only had one chocolate cupcake recipe on hand and that hadn’t turned out perfect last time I baked it. I decided to use the same recipe (upped the chocolate chips to 1/2 a bag and cooked for 25 minutes exactly) and they turned out perfectly! I think it was because I was baking with love (^_^) and used sturdier liners this time.

Mise En Place

Before filling the liners, I crushed up some almond biscuits with a little melted butter in the food processor and pressed them into the bottoms of the liners. I then put the batter in, baked them, and waited for them to cool. Once cool, I cored them. I heated up the caramel, added some fleur de sel to balance the sweetness, and mixed to combine.

The caramel cream cheese frosting was made with dark, un-spiced rum as well as some more fleur de sel. I tried piping the frosting on, but my tip wasn’t working so I just cut a hole in the bag and worked from there. Since the caramel had been warm, it was thinner in consistency and seeped into the cake, leaving a space for the caramel cream cheese to fall in to, no matter how carefully I tried to balance the frosting on top.

I finished the top of the cupcakes with toasted almond slivers, a sprinkle of fleur de sel, and a drizzling of salted caramel.

Everyone seemed to love these cupcakes, and when I got a chance to try one the next day, they were delicious! The recipe yielded 28 cupcakes (probably because of the extra chocolate chips I put in), so some of them had almond cookie crusts and some didn’t.

This recipe has been deemed a "hit at home" and is one of the tastiest recipes on Hapa-tite!