Lyon Hall: a French Brasserie in Clarendon

Lyon Hall is the place you want to be on a chilly fall day.  It is warm, inviting, and full of cozy booths.  The subtle lighting is calming – it’s a comfortable retreat at the end of the day, and not to mention, a delicious one.

The Schweitzel, with pomegranate dijon

While I visited with my friend Steph, we were surrounded by all kinds of visitors: an 8-person birthday party group, an office party who rented out all the high tops, two friends next to us at the bar, and a man having a cheap beer by himself.  And Lyon Hall is equally as fitting for any of those kinds of patrons – it is suitable to larger parties and more intimate gatherings, but comfortable enough to visit on your own.

One of the best things about Lyon Hall is its happy hour specials from 5 to 7 pm, seven days a week, which is a rare treat.  Select beers and wines are half price by the glass, and at least one cocktail is featured for $5. But they also boast a great happy hour food menu with specials like the house burger ($8) with a (a bit too strong of a stinky cheese for me, personally,) and Dijon mustard, sided by a generous helping of house-made fries.  Two different brats are offered – I highly recommend the “Schweitzel,” covered with a pomegranate Dijon, relish, and sauerkraut.  Bursting with flavor, this upscale dog can stand a lone as a hearty snack.  And it’s just $6. 

The main menu offers variations on their signature dish, mussels.  Choose from….  Their entrée list is bursting with meaty meals and savory dishes, including

Whether if you’re looking for a place to read a book and get a good delicious deal by yourself, looking for a place to catch up with friends over reasonably-priced treat, or watch the football game with fancier hot dogs than you’d get at the stadium, Lyon Hall can serve as your neighborhood meet-up spot.


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If you need a reason to throw a dinner party...

Get inspired.

Yours doesn't have to be this big. 

I read this in Real Simple last month:


"Gastronomical perfection can be reached in these combinations: one person dining alone, usually upon a couch or hillside; two people, of no matter what sex or age, dining in a good restaurant; six people, of no matter what sex and age, dining in a good home." - M.F.K Fisher, An Alphabet for Gourmets

Wonderful.

October means Pumpkin Beer

My top pick, Brooklyn Brewery's Post Road

Let me start by saying that if someone made an “I heart Screwtop” t-shirt, I would wear it proudly.  There is so much to at this Arlington eatery and wine bar.  Screwtop (in Clarendon) has a plethora of wines from various regions with rotating seasonal choices and favorites. 

Their wildly popular wine club hosts monthly pick-up parties and members get to bring home two carefully selected bottles each month paired with the perfect cheese.  On top of that, members get various discounts and VIP access to events. Check out their website for wine club membership options.

If you’re looking for a good tasting now and then, Screwtop doesn’t make you wait for special events.  They serve fun wine flights daily, 3 options to check out and pair with your food.  My favorite feature is the personal placemat telling me what I’m drinking – a fun but practical detail. Their generous charcuterie boards, hearty sandwiches, (and mmmm, that truffle salt popcorn) all pack flavorful punches to any wine selection you so choose.

Besides the wine selection, the bar offers a lot more to celebrate. Screwtop has fun gifts for the foodie in your life, a great locally farmed cheese selection, and a broad range of hard-to-find beers. The food is worth the trip, imbibing or no.  Their generous cheese boards, bacon-wrapped dates (a favorite, savory and sweet), and full dinner dishes are worth a trip.

A couple weeks ago, I visited Screwtop to their Oktoberfest beer tasting featuring pumpkin beers.  I’m not always a “flavored” beer fan, but these brews proved perfect for a fall meal or a flavorful happy hour beer.

The tasting was led by Hop & Wine in DC (www.hopandwine.com), who led a large group of eager beer-loving folks through 4 tasty beers.  Here are the results. Go pick some up for your next gathering!

Taste 1 – Post Road from Brooklyn Brewery came in as my top choice.  Jonathan sold it as a taste of pumpkin pie, and that proved to be true.  Delicious.  Brooklyn Brewery produces Dogfish, a heavier beer, so Post Road came out as a lighter version and it gets the job done.  A perfect answer to the need for a lighter but flavorful fall beer.  A six-pack of Post Road made it home with me.

Taste 2 – Hailing from Michigan, Ichabod brought forward nutmeg flavors and a heavier, throaty body (a bit similar to Dogfish, actually, if you’re familiar) with a spicier, more powerful taste.

Taste 3 – Shipyard’s Smashed Pumpkin was a close runner-up, again offering pumpkin pie notes, but markedly different from Post Road.  With 9% alcohol and a fruitier sweetness to it, this signature series wheat brew caused rumors to swirl around the tasting area: it can guarantee an equally hearty hangover. Shipyard’s website recommends pairings with nuts, pumpkin pie, hearty stews, sharp cheese and lamb.  Any of those seem like a great idea.  I learned that it’s brewed with Ringwood yeast, a high brow brewing yeast most frequently used in England.

Taste 4 – The on tap selection was Great Pumpkin, from Cambridge Brewing Company in Massachusetts, which I found to feel more cinnamon/nutmeg/spice themed like Ichabod, but much lighter and easier on the palette.  Great Pumpkin is apparently hard to find – distributers are sold out.  Its popularity is no mystery: it’s full of spice and body, the kind you taste in the back of your throat with a great aftertaste.

www.screwtop.com

Monster Mash

Who's excited about squash and pumpkin being in season?  Hooray!  So many autumn delights can spring from these bulbous fruits (yes, they're fruits!!) - going into salads, desserts, side dishes, and sauces.

I'm not huge on mashed potatoes, so if I want to serve a side that has a similar texture and feel, I generally go with a squash, pumpkin, or sweet potato.  I excitedly bought an acorn squash last week to make a mash.  I boiled water and while it was heating up, sliced the squash in half and removing the guts and seeds.  Once the water was bubbling, I put both halves of the squash in and let it boil for 10 minutes.  Once the squash was soft, I put it in a mixing bowl (use tongs to move the squash - it holds water and is VERY hot!).  Once I got into the process, I realized I didn't have as much "bulk" as I wanted to have, so I was happy to see that I had a sweet potato in my kitchen, just waiting to be involved.  So, I softened the sweet potato in the microwave (high, 4 minutes) and added that to the mash, too, also skin-on.

With the squash and sweet both in the mixing bowl, I added salt, butter, cinnamon, honey, a little garlic powder, and in an impulsive move, some French vanilla half-and-half.  I know, it's over the top, but it was super tasty.  Then, I just mashed it all together until it had a thick whipped quality. (See ingredients below.)

Acorn squash & sweet potato mash

What I got was a savory and sweet mash, with skin-on flavor and texture.  It was salty, sweet, and creamy, and went well with other dishes.  It's fitting for steak or chicken, but also could be used as a pasta stuffing (think: ravioli) or even in a pie.

What you'll need:
Squash of choice
Sweet potatoes
Salt
Butter (I recommend Kerrygold, an Irish butter, or Smjor, an Icelandic variety)
Half-and-half
cinnamon
honey
a pinch of garlic

All Hail: KALE

I thought I didn't like kale because I had only tried sautéing it with olive oil. It turned out soggy and weird, and not tasting so great.  Unthwarted, I was determined to like the long, green, thick, leafy wonder.  Kale comes in red, purple, and green and in varieties like "curly" and "dino."  Plus, it has great nutritional value.  It has anti-inflammatory properties and is high in beta-carotene, lutein, vitamins K and C, and a fair amount of calcium.  What's not to like?

Kale is full of color and nutrients, too!

Baked and crispy

I then discovered kale chips while walking the aisle of Whole Foods.  Crispy, salty chips that also count as a serving of vegetables?  Yes, please.  I was not as excited about paying 8 bucks for a small container of chips, so I decided to experiment and make my own.  For my first trial, I picked up a beautiful stalk of green kale at the weekly Saturday morning Falls Church farmer's market. Since then, I've also tested the recipe with red and dino kale from the grocery store, and both turned out delicious. Red is my favorite.   

Kale is a hearty leafy green - it is a type of cabbage and in the same veggie family as cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, and brussels sprouts. It can be hard to eat raw unless shredded down to a smaller size or changed by heat. All the more reason to pop it in the oven to make a crunchy treat.

Before you start preparing the leaves to be baked, pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees. Then, get to peeling the leaves. Pull the leaves off the stalk, wash them, and dry them off with a kitchen towel or a salad spinner.  (The first go 'round, washing seemed like it took forever.  Now that I've done it many times, it's quick and easy.)  I have learned over time that it’s essential to get the kale very dry before baking it. Otherwise, it stays soggy even when baked.

After drying, break the leaves up into smaller pieces. Spread the leaves out onto a baking sheet.  Sprinkle them with olive oil, or you can use an olive oil spray.  Toss on some sea salt (the big crystals gives them a nice salty crunch), powdered garlic, and cracked pepper.  Spice it up by adding different accents like cayenne pepper, flavored salt, rosemary, and other herbs.  You can even toss a sliced tomato on top and let that bake with the greens. Put it in the oven for 16-20 minutes, depending on how crispy you want it.

After taking it out of the oven, you can break it up more to make chips or leave it in its current size as a side dish. It makes an amazing side to any kind of meat or vegetarian protein and adds a fantastic texture to any meal. If you decide to make chips, store them in a bag or container. Before packaging, make sure the kale chips cool to maintain their crispiness. The leftovers can be great the next day as a reheated side or a cold salad. The texture changes a bit, but it's still delicious.

Tip Topping

This is a fun little mix to delight the palates of brunch and dinner guests alike.  Like a lot of the food I love, it's both simple and fancy, all at the same time.  It provides some great flavor, color, and texture to an omelet, a steak, chicken, or a casserole.  And the good news is, it takes 15 minutes, tops.

Get some olive oil going in a skillet on low heat.  Meanwhile, chop up some green onion, fresh garlic, and mushrooms of your choice.  Here, I used Baby Bellas, but any of your favorites would do.  Once the oil heats up, toss your mixture in the skillet, then add any spices you might want involved, but in any case, add some salt and pepper.  Over the mixture, add some more olive oil and balsamic to give the topping some zest.  Let it simmer at medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms and onions get softer and a little browned.  Use your own taste to guide how long you saute them, just don't let 'em get crispy and burn!

Now, you can add the topping to any aforementioned dish and it'll be in tip top shape.

Baked Fried Chicken

For those of you who like fried chicken but don't want to call it that, I've got a little answer for ya.  Butter, batter, and oil?  Check.  But not like you would imagine: I used these 3 simple ingredients - garlic herb butter, one egg (that happened to be free range...Food Snob Alert!!), and cornmeal.  I simply whipped those ingredients together with a little salt and pepper and onion powder, and then dipped each of the chicken breasts in the mixture.  I placed the chicken in a pre-olive oiled baking pan and popped it in the oven for about 35 minutes at 375 degrees.

Voila!  A deliciously coated, crispy, but altogether not heavy, "fried" (but more baked) chicken.  The leftovers reheated nicely, just with a softer surface.  Reheated, it was like chicken with cornbread crumbles.  And what, pray tell, could be wrong with that??