For the Foodie Cheapskates

Everyone loves food, but lately the pursuit of food is so nuanced -- and expensive -- it's hard to say that one is both a "foodie" as well as "frugal." It's either or. Even if you cook at home, the price of the ingredients are so expensive, it's hard to be the Paula Deen of your hometown.

Yet I LOVE nothing more then a good meal, with some good wine, and excellent conversation alongside. (Well, maybe the only thing better than that would be if the meal were al fresco, in sensationally temperate 80 degrees, with brillantly sun-shiney weather.) I just don't like to pay for it. So I'm caught between a rock and a hard spot.

Thankfully, I have a freelance gig which allows me to taste some of the premier food Washington, D.C. (and the surrounding metroplex) has to offer. Without writing for NBC Washington, there would be no way I could try all the delectable goodies cropping up daily. FYI: My still new favorite would be Brabo Tasting Room in Old Town Alexandria. For about $25-$30 a person, this is an absolute steal. The no reservation policy means you have to be patient for a table, but the wait is well worth it.

Also, I appreciate the gentlemanly nature of the men of this city who take me to all the restaurants who aren't cutting-edge/new enough for an NBC review. Their wallets certainly subsidize my foodie taste-buds.

But I want to find good great -- GREAT food, if at all possible -- on the cheap, without having to rely on work or the benevolence of men. And not just the restaurants who annually show up in The Washingtonian's Cheap Eats either, but how to eat a great meal, every meal, for $15 or less.

This blog will only be updated once or twice a day because I do have a day job which doesn't allow me to post on blogs so check the blog either early in the morning or late a night, once a day, seven days a week. I'll have a suggestion and hope you'll post a suggestion for me too.

And not just my review of restaurants but also articles, reciepes, interviews and maybe even an episode from a really good show which shares how to find excellent food cheaply in one of the most expensive cities to live in here in these United States.

Happy hunting -- and, most importantly, happy eating!!

Here's an article to consider. From this morning's New York Times "Week in Review" Section: "Foie Gras Palates, Hot Dog Pocketbooks."