Shrimp & Grits & Washington D.C.

My goal in D.C. was to go to as many DDD places that I could. I only made it to 2 but that's ok because I found my new favorite meal. Most of the places we went to there were what some would call Ghetto or Scary. But I think those Dives of a place can sometimes have the BEST food. I found this first place on YELP, Capitol City Diner. It sounded great, and everyone said their Chicken & Waffles were awesome, any place with waffles I can do. When we drove up I could tell most of my family didn't even want to get out of the car, since their may have been a crack house next door. But they followed me blindly believing that I knew what I was talking about. When we got inside it wasn't much better, a small diner car with one cook and no customers. But by the end of the meal everyone was eating their words!





Next up was our first Triple D place. Oohs & Aahs Cafe. This place was in an even scarier neighborhood but so worth it. When we walked up it was this tiny little place with a kitchen downstairs and a couple of table upstairs. The only thing that kept my family from leaving was all the pictures of "famous" people that had eaten there littering the walls.

But they were sooo glad they stayed, this was truly some of the best food I have EVER had. They gave us a sampler platter of all their side dishes to try and they were incredible. The cabbage was to die for, I have truly never had better cabbage, and I WILL find out how to duplicate.

I got the Shrimp & Grits, which one of the items they featured on the show. I was in complete and utter amazement at how absolutely wonderful this meal was. The grits were sweet, smooth, and melt in your mouth good. With spicy shrimp atop of it that went so perfect together. I couldn't have been happier with my meal. I loved it so much I took the leftovers home and ate them for breakfast, and the were still just as good.

I also tried the peach cobbler and for someone who isn't usually a fan, I could have eaten the whole thing!

So if you are ever in D.C and you don't go I will pity you!
Remember awhile back when I recreated the Arepas I saw on Triple D. Well I got a chance to go the restaurant that I first saw it on. But I gotta say I actually liked mine better. Which usually doesn't happen but everyone agreed with me as well. This is actually a good thing, since I can make it anytime I want.
Onto my meal. As soon as I had the Shrimp & Grits in D.C. I knew that I wouldn't not stop until I could recreate them. When I got home I got the recipe from the restaurant off food network and went about acquiring ingredients. You would think that would be easy, but apparently there is not ONE single store in AZ that sells OLD Fashioned grits. My husband told me to just give the quick cooking ones a try and if they didn't work then order online.

I am so glad I listened because they turned out perfect, and just like I remember.

Now if you are not a fan of grits please still try this recipe because these grits unlike any I have ever tried and when I saw the recipe I understood why. One word "Heavy Cream", really it can make any meal better. So please I am begging you to try this meal and you will not be disappointed.

Cajun Grilled Shrimp and Grits

adapted from Food Network

• Ingredients

Grits:

• 1 cup old fashioned grits/ or quick cooking grits
• 2 cups boiling water
• 2 cups heavy cream
• 1/4 stick butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic granules or freshly minced

Grilled Shrimp:

• 1T chili powder
• Pinch red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 1T seafood seasoning (recommended: Old Bay)
• 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1T garlic powder
• 1T onion powder
• 
  
• 3 T butter or olive oil
• 2 pounds raw shrimp, peeled and deveined

Directions

Grits: Boil 2 cups of water in medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Add the remaining ingredients in consecutive order while stirring slowly. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Slowly stir in the grits. Allow to simmer, stirring every 5 minutes until reaching the desired consistency, about 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the grits to a serving bowl and keep warm.

Shrimp: Mix all of the dry ingredients thoroughly in bowl until well blended. Melt the butter or olive oil in a large grill pan over high heat. Generously coat the shrimp in the seasoning mixture. Add them to the grill pan and cook until caramelized on both sides. Remove them from the pan to a serving bowl and serve with the grits.

Suggestion: Adding cheese and/or gravy with fried onions, to taste, will elevate the dish considerably

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