Carry On (local food delicacies) Wayward Son

Dearest Cadbury Creme Egg cupcakes,

I have been blogging for a good while at this point, and have to say that I still enjoy writing about random things here on W&CP just as much as the day I first launched the blog. In fact, I have so many possible topics I want to blog about (curly hair care, Peeps family day at the Washington Post and my love of Easter candy, Meredith and Adam's winter photo shoot, Michele's Granola, and so much more) and am just to grateful that people take the time to actually read and comment on the posts I write.

One of my favorite things about writing a blog is the conversations I have with people in real life about the posts. Aside from feeding the truly extroverted nature of my personality and affirming that I actually write about things people care about, my MOST favorite part of writing a blog is when people bring me food from other cities that they 1) think I will enjoy 2) have read about here and know I can't get in DC. In the last few weeks, there have been three different instances of this happening and I am just so grateful to the W&CP fans who risked getting syrup confiscated by the TSA, made room in suitcasea for cookies, and packaged hamantaschen for easy transport, all in the name of making me, your local food loving friend, happy!

I Got Carded for a Hamantaschen
The recent wave of food transport/delivery started with an e-mail from Becca Y.:

Also, as a side note, unrelated, but very important--the hamantashen at the Rockville JCC are beyond delicious in a way that I cannot even describe. I'm not sure how they get them so good, but calling them tasty doesn't even do them justice. Put that on your DC metro area foodie radar :)

And with that, I was determined to get my hands on one (wouldn't you, especially after that type of endorsement?). I had heard from several other friends who work in Rockville (perhaps a silver lining to working in Rockville is access to these hamantaschen?) that they were unmatched and knew I needed to try one. I heard conflicting reports that they were shipped in from New York... or baked locally in the hamantaschen mecca that is Montgomery County.

After a bit of research and the assistance of Becca's friend Beth M., I determined that the hamantaschen were, in fact, baked at Shalom's Kosher Market in Wheaton, MD. And it gets better: they are also available YEAR ROUND. So, I changed my Facebook status to something bribing my Montgomery County frequenting friends to bring me a poppy hamantashen from Shalom's (the prize: a handsome blog shout out). I figured it would take a few weeks and a good amount of nagging to get my personal delivery of this Purim delicacy. But no... I received a text message from Becca a mere 24 hours later letting me know she had transported a triangular pastry worthy of W&CP fame from Wheaton.

I swung by Becca's apartment building the next morning to pick it up from the front desk. I saw a little Whole Foods bag with my name on it behind the front desk--but the person staffing the front desk must have known about the precious nature of what was inside the bag because he carded me (!) to ensure I wasn't trying to steal Shalom's hamantaschen that were not intended for me. Thanks for keeping the hamantaschen safe, buddy.

So the moment of truth came when I actually got to taste the poppy hamantaschen (I don't bother with the other flavors, they're a waste of time in my opinion) from Shalom's, and it lived up to Becca's endorsement. The pastry was flaky but firm, the filling was sweet but not cloying. Nice work, Shalom's! And thanks to Becca and Beth for exposing me to what just may be the best Purim themed pastry in all of the DC metro area.


(NOTE: I also really really love the poppy hamantaschen from Bagel City in Rockville, they come in as a close second to the Shalom's variety.)

Moment of Cookie Self Actualization
The next occurrence in this string of food related deliveries came in the form of one Julie F., a large tupperware container, and our photography class.

We've discussed the Levain Bakery before. They are located on the Upper West Side and produce the BEST cookies I have ever eaten. I will defend Levain's status as the best cookie ever to anyone who challenges this (truth is, the cookies speak for themselves, but since there are only two places to get Levain cookies and they are both in New York, I sadly come into contact with people who have never been exposed to this baked good delicacy on a regular basis).

Good thing Julie F. had recently spent a few days in New York and made room in her suitcase to bring a tupperware full of Levain Bakery cookies to DC, which she then schlepped to our photography class. Julie had not been to Levain until her recent trip, but has been hearing me talk about them on an almost daily basis for five years, and quickly bought into the Levain way of life as soon as she set foot into their tiny shop at 74th and Amsterdam.

We snacked on the chocolate/peanut butter variety as we walked down the street on our way home. This moment was one of my favorite moments. Amy B. was there, it wasn't too cold, we had just learned how to adjust the white balance on our cameras, and all was well in the world. A moment of cookie self actualization, if you will.


I also need to mention several other instances of Levain cookie presence in DC. The first came about a year ago when Jonathan H. sent a cookie home for me with Rachel H. who promptly delivered it to my apartment as soon as she got off the bus in DC. We videotaped the delivery. My very skilled niece, Olivia, once sent a box of cookies after a trip we took together to thank me for being her babysitter (she is very advanced, and has excellent manners). My former office mate, Sara F., reached platinum friend status when she brought several cookies back to DC from NY and shared them with our whole office (I don't think I would have been as generous). The next instance occured just a few weeks ago when we celebrated Julie's 27th birthday (welcome to your "late 20s," Foolie) with a chocolate/peanut butter themed bake-off. Neil S. contributed a box of Levain goodness and really stole the show. (Actually, he won for the category "Best Chocolate/Peanut Butter Baked Good Featured on Oprah.")

The most recent instance occurred last Wednesday. I do lots of online shopping so it is not rare for me to arrive home to a box or two outside my once in a while. So when I came home from work and saw two brown shipping boxes propped up outside my door I wasn't surprised. When I examined one a little more closely, I knew immediately that it was a Levain cookie shipment (I have received this amazing gift once or twice before and can recognize the signature packing tape and shape of the box from afar). As I opened the box, I saw a delightful card from one Cara F. wishing me good luck on my new job. Basically, the best present, EVER. Way to go, Cara F.

Syrup Smuggler
The third (and possibly most amazing) chapter in this recent rash of food delicacy deliveries took place at the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) conference in DC two weeks ago. This story makes most sense if I back up a few weeks so bear with me as I set it up.

February 23 is National Pancake Day. In observance of this important holy day, I decided to celebrate by tweeting about my favorite pancakery, Pamela's, in Pittsburgh. (You've never seen me blog about Pam's since I haven't visited since I've been a blogger, but I just planned a trip for September so sit tight and prepare yourself for a full blog review then.) Around National Pancake Day, I had recently become Twitter friends with one of the NCJW volunteers, Christine S., who lives in Pittsburgh (oh, the wonders of the interweb, we connected through Elissa F.'s lively twitter feed and decided to become online friends). So, Christine S. spotted my tweet about Pam's and volunteered to bring some with her to DC when she came for the NCJW conference. I obviously thought she was kidding.

As the conference approached, Christine featured several Twitter messages about her preparations to bring the pancakes from the 'Burgh to DC:



Mind you, we'd never met and based on her Twitter feed, I knew she was very busy with a full time job, two daughters, and being a fabulous NCJW volunteer. I couldn't believe she was actually going through with the delivery, but at the same time I really hoped she would since Pamela's pancakes are just so delicious.

So the day before the conference arrived, and Christine notified me by Twitter that the syrup had been confiscated by the TSA but the pancakes made it through security. I began to get a little nervous that I wouldn't be able to properly thank Christine for all the trouble she had gone to... then Elissa told me the two of us were really similar and she would just be excited to see my enthusiastic reaction.

I told all the NCJW ladies that I was on my way to find Christine S. as I traipsed around the Omni Shoreham to connect with my long lost pancake delivering friend (after speaking on a panel about interfaith organizing for sex education funding). Then I spotted Christine... Obviously, I had a very enthusiastic reaction... and the rest was captured by the very capable photography skills of Amy B.


The pancakes did NOT disappoint and I feel as if Christine and I are now pancake soul mates. (And how cute is Christine's statement necklace? It is from this cool website called Avelle.)

So to all of the lovely people featured in this post (and to everyone else who has thought of me while you had access to a local food delicacy), please know how much I appreciate your efforts. I promise to return the favor when I begin my French Meadow bakery salad import business from the Twin Cities to DC.

Signing off from my NEW MAC,
Wild and Crazy Pearl