Canberra - Ginger Room

I am a big history nerd, especially when it comes to politics. So when I heard there was a restaurant in Canberra's Old Parliament House, I geeked out. From 1927 until 1988, the Australian Parliament was based out of the Old Parliament House, then known as the Provisional Parliament House, since it accommodated Parliament while the government built a permanent Parliament House. 61 years later, the Parliament finally moved to the new Parliament House. The Old Parliament House became a venue for cultural events and home to The Ginger Room restaurant.

The Ginger Room restored the Parliament members' private dining room. The restaurant remained faithful to the art deco room while incorporating modern accents and views of the New Parliament House. The menu offered contemporary food with Asian and French influences. To make the most of this impressive menu, I opted for the degustation with matching wines, it included:

Prawn Wantons with Shiitake Mushrooms

Tomato and Basil Croquettes

Kangaroo Fillet with Pear and Parsnip Purée and Red Currant Glaze

Selection of Cheeses

Red Wine Poached Pear with Cinnamon Spiced Doughnuts

The food was good, but did not live up to its artful presentation. The wantons and croquettes were bland and unmemorable. I was wary of kangaroo dish, hesitant to eat an animal so tied to the country's identity that it is on the Australian Coat of Arms. But, with the kangaroo population burgeoning and my curiosity getting the better of me, I couldn't pass up the opportunity. Sadly, the kangaroo was not nearly as thrilling as I imagined. The seasoning was nice, but did not bring out the flavors of the meat as well as it could have. I was left wondering if kangaroo fillet was as unexciting as my 100th kangaroo siting (they really are everywhere).

The menu's strengths were the cheese plate and dessert. Diners could chose several cheeses from The Ginger Room's well-stocked cheese cart. (I was impressed that they had a cheese cart - it is a brilliant concept I haven't encountered often enough.) I have a weakness for doughnuts, so I knew I would love dessert. But the poached pear was surprising, momentarily distracting me from my cinnamon doughnut rampage. This may sound unimpressive, but it is no small feat - when I am in the midst of a doughnut rampage, I have a laser-like focus that is rarely deterred.

The historic setting distinguished The Ginger Room, not the food. The menu's concept was clever, but its execution was lacking.

Blue Mountains - Darley's Restaurant

The Blue Mountains in New South Wales are majestic, with their sandstone plateaus covered by gum trees (eucalyptus to those of us in the States), deep gorges, and rain forests. The mountains got their name from the gum tree oil that seeps into the air, covering the ridges with a blue haze.

Darley's Restaurant overlooks the Jameson Valley from the Blue Mountains. A historic home houses the restaurant, and it still has the original fire places and stained glassed windows. Executive Chef, Hugh Whitehouse, features fresh, local food in his seasonal menus. The wine list is expansive, offering local and international wines. The Sydney Morning Herald awarded Darley's its 2009 Good Food Award for 'Regional Restaurant of the Year.'

Clearly this is a restaurant I needed to try.

After ordering a Pinot Noir from Orange, a town about 100 miles west, I took a closer look at the menu. Oddly, it referred to appetizers as "entrees" and entrees as "mains." I didn't care what the menu called each course, everything looked delicious. After long consideration, I settled on thee following three courses:

Entrée -Tortellini of local Jannei goat’s cheese, prawns, tea soaked raisins, pine nuts, brown butter, perorino. This was my favorite dish of the night, it was perfectly indulgent and rich.

Main -Cowra spring lamb - apple wood smoked, carrot puree, cassoulet of borlotti beans, Herbs de Provence, spring garlic, sourdough crumbs. The lamb was tender, but too smoked; it overwhelmed the other flavors. I was disappointed because I had such high hopes for this dish.

Desserts -Indulgence of white chocolate, rose and strawberries. I'll admit, I am a chocolate snob and rarely chose white chocolate, so I was crestfallen that this was the only chocolate option on the menu. Though it would not have had a chance against a chocolate coconut Georgetown cupcake, this dish pleasantly surprised me. The strawberries were fresh and sweet, and the white chocolate ganache was a very nice complement to them.

In all, Darley's didn't quite live up to the hype. The food was good, but not phenomenal. At times the menu was overly ambitious without delivering. I would be interested to revisit the restaurant at another time of year to see if a different seasonal menu lived up to the restaurant's potential.

Canberra - Debacle, Italian and Sons, and Knightsbridge

After nearly 24 hours of travel, I was greeted by chaos in the Sydney airport. The dust storm the day before shut the airport down, and there was hell to pay Thursday morning when it reopened. My connecting flight should have gotten me to Canberra in time for a hearty breakfast, but instead I languished in Customs while my plane took off.

I arrived in Canberra famished, but right in time for lunch. James knew of a casual lunch place, Debacle, with an amazing beer selection. I tried beers from Perth - Little Creatures Pale and Bright Ales were both excellent but the Beez Neez stole the show. It had a hint of honey that enhanced its taste, but didn't overwhelm with its sweetness. We ordered the mezze platter - my favorites were the Spanish Chorizo, Samosa (the cucumber yogurt was fantastic), and Arancini Balls (the most addictive fried balls of rice and cheese I've encountered).

Later that evening we headed to a new and oddly named restaurant, Italian and Sons. In spite of the name, the atmosphere was cozy and the food was delicious. I had the spinach ravioli with burnt sage butter, and it was exquisite. The wine selection was good as well and I was surprised the Sicilian red we chose went so well with my meal.

We stopped by Knightsbridge Penthouse for post-dinner drinks. I was shocked to see a mint julep on the menu! (Before to moving to DC, it was nearly impossible to find a mint julep outside of Louisville.) Better yet, the bartender thought it was cool I was from Kentucky! AND the drink was well made. My trip was off to a good start.

Tim Tams

I heard about Tim Tams long before I booked my ticket to Australia. I can't honestly say I traveled halfway around the world for those cookies alone, but they certainly gave me hope during the 15 hour flight to Sydney.

I was not disappointed.

Words don't do justice to their chocolaty goodness, you just have to try them. How might you do that when they are not sold in American stores? I was wondering the same thing myself in the midst of a painful Tim Tam withdrawal which not even Sausalito cookies could shake.

It's times like these when I love the internet...until I remember Twitter. I was able to google Tim Tams and found out that they will be hitting U.S. shelves seasonally in ten days!!! You can even track the Tim Tam boat's progress. Brilliant.

Now everyone knows where I will be next Sunday morning...camping out at Target waiting for them to open.

Sad News

Ben Ali, the founder of Ben's Chili Bowl, a landmark D.C. eatery that has fed presidents, celebrities and the common folks of city, died last night of congestive heart failure at his home in Washington. He was 82.

Ben's Chili Bowl is one of my favorite places in the city, and Ben Ali's perserverance and spirit are insipiring. It's a great loss to his family and our community.

Australia Food Blog to Follow...

Tomorrow I am leaving for a two week vacation in Australia! I'm looking forward to lots of good food and promise to write a long entry when I get back.

New September Flavors at Georgetown Cupcake!

The weather this week has been a gorgeous preview of fall. The pumpkin spice latte is back at Starbucks and now Georgetown Cupcake is getting us into the fall spirit with their September flavors!

Caramel apple cupcakes with dulce de leche cores and vanilla cream cheese frosting are available Wednesday - Saturday.

Cinnamon cupcakes are available on Sundays and Tuesdays.

I can't wait for my next trip!