Serene at Java Green? (And more foodstuffs...)

The above scene at Java Green was serene, but only because I was there during the morning, when it serves breakfast (9 am to 11 am), before lunchtime's zoo-like atmosphere. In addition to all the hot and cold coffee and tea concoctions, the drinks menu has expanded to include a few raw items, three raw lattes (mate latte, ginger latte, and a green tea latte), all for the hair-raising price of $9.00! (The other coffee drinks start at about $3.80, more in line with reality.)

During breakfast hours, you can also get a tasty sweet treat, such as cookies from Sticky Fingers Bakery, or one of the cakes and pies from Sweet-n-Natural Bakery (also sold at Brown's Market and Everlasting Life) and Seemconi, which seems to specialize in delectable-looking cashew "cheesecakes." Had I known about the latter beforehand, my hand would have slipped into my purse to pay for the chocolate cashew cheesecake, and eat the fattening goodness, but that will have to wait for another time.

Not that I was showing any waistline discipline, mind you, but I was going to eat something savory, such as one of the hearty breakfast sandwiches. And for a not-bad price of $5.95, at least compared with the lunch sandwiches. (Admittedly, lunch sandwiches at Java can be enormous.)

The breakfast sandwich above, "Eggcentricity," could have been great. The bread is very tasty, the soy chicken chunks are firm and delicious, and the sandwich itself is a decent size overall (very important for breakfast, IMHO). However, there is no need to shred the soy cheese, as that makes the "cheese" fall out of the sandwich and all over the plate. Also, there's entirely too much garlic in the scrambled tofu! The other breakfast sandwiches, often called "che," also feature the same bread and the scrambled tofu, so I'd forget the ones that don't have the soy chicken. And stick with one of the drinks and sweets.

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Speaking of sweets, Hello Cupcake's cheery exterior just called out to me from Connecticut Avenue. I answered that call, and was not disappointed. That is, after I finally decided which cupcake to buy. The lemon "you tart" was suitably tempting, as was the dulce de leche sweetie. However, I chose a vegan chocolate with strawberry icing. Ooooh, the chocolate was moist and sweet, and the icing, swoonworthy, tastes of real strawberries and piled high atop the cake. It tastes like the bakers actually do bake the cupcakes every morning. Freshness--what a concept!

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I'm looking forward to the premiere of the new season of Top Chef DC tonight, if only to see local boy Timothy Dean obtain even more exposure and success (maybe then I'll finally be able to eat in one of his establishments, as his last DC foray was less than successful). Also curious to see how Tameesha Warren, sous chef at the Oval Room, does this season (the one time I ate there, years ago, was a joy). I haven't watched this program consistently since the season Carla Hall was a contestant. Go DC!

Free food?

On occasion, I've been able to accidentally score free (non-fast or processed) good food. Like today, when I went to my friendly local health food store, Brown's Market, to buy Morningstar riblets. (Haven't tried this new product yet.) Now, the riblets were not free, but, because two of the store's freezers need to be repaired, after I paid for the faux ribs, Jay literally pushed (cool, shrink-wrapped, date-stamped) sandwiches into my hands, because they have tomorrow listed as the expiration date. Not being a complete fool, and lazy to boot, I took them. (Which also means no cooking tonight, as these hearty sandwiches will go well with homemade Asian cabbage coleslaw.)

Now, I realize that the reason I got free food was that the sammiches were close to expiring, and I happened to be at the right place at the right time, but also because I'm a semi-regular customer. Whether at small grocers or fine dining establishments, the "regulars" get the occasional freebie and discounts that less frequent customers do not.

I've taken advantage of end-of-day food store discounts, and have, at times, helped others to them. For instance, when I worked at the downtown Firehook location, on Fridays the remaining food that couldn't be taken to another local branch was (and still is) discounted by 50% in the final hour before closing, because that particular store is closed on the weekends. So, as a customer, I've periodically mozied down there to bring home tasty goods for the weekend, like cornbread (which is not painfully sweet like Whole Foods').

Of course, small restaurants like the Vegetable Garden (yum!) and chains alike offer loyalty cards, in which you get a card stamped after each visit, and get the number "x" purchase free. Of course, the best way to save money overall on food is using careful observation of prices and food amounts at all food stores and restaurants in your area.

Not-so-free food...

I got roped into baking loaves of the fabled, admittedly delicious Amish friendship bread (pictured above) after a friend handed me a giant ziploc of the infamous beige goo. One problem with this cakelike quickbread was simply the timing--it's not the right time of year for baking, especially sweet spicy cakes (or chocolate desserts). For some reason I assumed the friendship was a true sourdough. NOT. Thus, why all the fuss?

My real gripe with the fussy treat is not the number of days (10) or steps required, but the sheer number and variety of ingredients used, which boggles the mind. For instance, because the starter contains yeast, why the need to add both baking powder and baking soda? Also, since the recipe calls for eggs and oil just before baking, what's the point of adding instant pudding mix (which is mostly sugar and cornstarch)?

Granted, the final product tastes like cinnamon doughnuts in loaf form, but I've had, and baked from scratch, other delicious cakes that took a lot less effort and fewer ingredients. Hmm, I guess this bread was not so "free" after all.