Category Archives: Food and Drink

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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Food Tweet of the Week

Photo courtesy of
‘Lobster Truck’
courtesy of ‘yostinator’
It’s funny how self-promotion can either come across as annoying and uneccessary or cute and endearing. Food trucks pretty much have to promote themselves to survive, and make sure customers know what they’re offering, when, and where.

In this case the popular Red Hook Lobster Pound was hoping to score another popularity title. After one month of food-truck matchups at Washingtonian, the championship round featured the lobster truck and Solar Crepes. Red Hook called out for help from one of DC’s (and Spain’s and Vegas’) most well-known chefs.
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Food and Drink, The Features, We Love Drinks
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We Love Drinks: Return to the Columbia Room

Photo courtesy of
‘Architectural Ice’
courtesy of ‘Jenn Larsen’

A lot has happened since my first visit to the Columbia Room in June of last year. Owner Derek Brown’s martini has been rightly lauded as the best in the country by GQ, for instance. I keep returning to this oasis, whether for classes or for service, because it truly is one of the most special places you can go to enjoy a perfectly crafted drink. There’s a meticulous attention to beauty, history and taste here that we are lucky to experience in DC. After reading Fedward’s round with Katie Nelson in February, I knew I had to get back even more. So last week found me at a much-anticipated girls’ night out at the cocktail spa. We weren’t disappointed.

I asked Derek Brown after my last visit if he feels much has changed since opening. “Nothing has changed dramatically from our opening. We’ve just gotten better at what we do and more popular along with it. We’re especially grateful for all the accolades -from the Washingtonian to GQ – as it’s very gratifying when you work as hard as we do to see people enjoying the fruits of your labor.”

And what exquisite fruits… that night the girls and I sat down at the bar tended by the talented Katie Nelson, with three Season Tickets garnished with mint and cucumber to start. Spring may have failed us outside in the chill, but inside was a garden of delights.  Continue reading →

Eat Like Me, Food and Drink, The Features
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Eat Like Me: March’s Best Dishes

Photo courtesy of
‘00374-04Crop’
courtesy of ‘furcafe’
This month got off to a bit of a slow start food-wise. I had a few lackluster meals and a few blah-worthy chain restaurant lunches that didn’t bode well for a month of culinary excellence. I ended strong though, with trips to Bar Pilar, Urbana and my new love of my (edible H St.) life, Ethiopic. If it wasn’t for a superb crab cake at J&G, the lamb tibs at Ethiopic would take the cake as my favorite dish of the month. I also ate at a lot of old favorites, but tried to branch out. Sometimes it worked (the rice bowls at Surfside), and sometimes I didn’t (why I ever stray from the T.U.B.S. sandwich at Ted’s I’ll never know). But as always, I ate well, and I ate plenty.

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Dupont Circle, Food and Drink, The Features, We Love Food
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We Love Food: Hank’s Oyster Bar

Photo courtesy of
‘P1010522’
courtesy of ‘sygyzy’
Hank’s Oyster Bar has all the makings of being my go-to secret neighborhood joint — that perfectly undiscovered gem, with amazing food and an owner who remembers me so I never have to wait for a table. In a perfect world, yes, this would be the case. But this is not a perfect world and the rest of Washington has discovered Hank’s. There’s usually a wait, and to make matters worse, it’s not even in my neighborhood. But it almost was my neighborhood. I looked at an apartment in the Cairo building, and while I was thrilled with the opportunity to live in a haunted former brothel, I was even more excited about the possibility of living within viewing distance of the line at Hank’s.

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Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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Arcadia’s Mobile Market Project and Happy Hour Fundraiser

Photo courtesy of
‘SCHOOL BUS’
courtesy of ‘afagen’

There are some truly innovative projects going on in the food world to expand access to healthy and local produce. One right in DC is Arcadia’s Mobile Market Project, an initiative to turn a school bus into a traveling farmer’s market that will run on biofuel (a.k.a. old cooking oil) and stop in “food deserts” across the city.

The first fundraiser event for the project is this Thursday, March 31 from 5 to 8 PM at Lounge 2o1 near Union Station. The happy hour will have cocktails with local spirits, as well as some tiny bites made with local, sustainable beef from White House Meats. You’ll be able to make a secure pledge to the Mobile Market Project right on the spot and Lounge 201 will donate a portion of the night’s proceeds to the project.

The project is trying to raise $15,000 by Earth Day on April 22nd. Unfortunately, if the project doesn’t meet its goal it will be stalled and you won’t be charged for your donation. When the Mobile Market launches, it will make regular stops in Wards 5, 7 and 8 and sell fresh, affordable produce. To increase accessibility, the market will accept many forms of payment, including SNAP, WIC and FMNP vouchers. Additionally, the bus will make special visits to different schools and community centers to bring chefs, farmers and other community leaders in to talk about making healthy food choices.

So far the project has raised more than $7,000 and has 23 days to go. If you can’t make it to the happy hour at Lounge 201, you can make an online pledge here.

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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FREE FOOD ALERT: Cherry Picks at Capital One Bank Branches

Photo courtesy of
‘cherry blossoms + Washington Monument’
courtesy of ‘martha_jean’

Unless you’ve got tons of free time and an expansive stomach and wallet, there’s just no way to take advantage of every cherry blossom-inspired dish at restaurants around town. So instead, you can sample some of the “Cherry Picks” this week and next at various Capital One Bank locations.

From 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM on designated dates, different restaurants will give out complimentary morsels. If you happen to be a Capital One Bank customer, then you get the added bonus of getting a free coffee or dessert when you dine at and pay with your Capital One debit or credit card at participating restaurants.

Below is the schedule for the free Cherry Picks:

Tuesday, March 29; 11:30am – 1:30pm
Capital One Branch: 1100 17th Street, NW
Featuring Litestars
 
Wednesday, March 30; 11:30am – 1:30pm
Capital One Branch: 336 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE
Featuring Zest Bistro

Wednesday, March 30; 11:30am – 1:30pm
Capital One Branch: 1800 M Street, NW
Featuring Mie N Yu

Thursday, March 31; 11:30 – 1:30pm
Capital One Branch: 2400 M Street, NW 
Featuring RIS 

Tuesday, April 5; 11:30am – 1:30pm
Capital One Branch: 901 New York Ave, NW
Featuring Againn
 
Wednesday, April 6; 11:30am – 1:30pm
Capital One Branch: 1850 K Street, NW
Featuring Cities Restaurant & Lounge

Thursday, April 7; 11:30am – 1:30pm
Capital One Branch: 1200 F Street, NW
Featuring McCormick and Schmick’s

Food and Drink, Special Events, The Features, We Love Drinks
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Drinks Special: Birch & Barley’s Beer & Whiskey

Birch & Barley/ChurchKey beer and whisky tasting

Last week, Birch & Barley hosted their first-ever beer and whiskey tasting. At the helm was the inimitable Greg Engert to guide the evening’s attendees through three different beers and three different whiskies, one of each presented on its own, and then two of each paired together.

While I’ve had several meals at Birch & Barley and have spent too much time upstairs at ChurchKey, I had not yet attended one of Birch & Barley’s tastings or beer dinners so I wasn’t sure what to expect—in its format, presentation, guidance, sociability—but based on my past experiences with the brother-sister venues and the heavy promotion the tasting received, I figured it would be worthwhile. By the conclusion of the event, it had certainly met expectations—I left better educated, with a few new acquaintances, and with a pleasant buzz.

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Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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Friday Happy Hour: ARTINI Edition – Week Three

Photo Credit: Daniel Swartz/REVAMP.COM Courtesy of Corcoran Gallery of Art

Once again, Friday Happy Hour takes a look at the Cocoran’s ARTINI 2011 Each of the twelve participating bars have a created a special cocktail inspired by works from the Cocoran’s collection which are on offer leading up to the April 2nd gala. Each bar gets one “feature night” when their creation is showcased and a portion of the proceeds is donated to the Corcoran – though the drink continues to be available the entire month.

Featured this week: Café Atlántico, Potenza, and Art and Soul.
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Capital Chefs, Food and Drink, The Features
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Capital Chefs – Teddy Diggs of Ripple (Part 2)

Photo courtesy of
‘Gnocchi with creme fraiche sauce, spinach and beans’
courtesy of ‘bonappetitfoodie’

Man, am I a big fan of gnocchi. It’s easy enough to make. It combines pasta and potatoes, the two powerhouses of starchiness. What’s not to love? So since it’s unpleasantly cold this weekend, make a nice, warm bowl of this gnocchi, courtesy of Teddy Diggs, executive chef of Ripple. In the recipe, Teddy uses a potato ricer. I usually follow the Alton Brown school of thought that “uni-taskers are bad.” But a potato ricer is a fantastic invention. Once you have mashed potatoes (or this gnocchi) that went through a potato ricer, you’ll never go back. You can use a fork to mash them instead, and use a fork to shape the gnocchi (you are forgiven for not having a gnocchi paddle).

The full recipe is after the jump.
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Capital Chefs, Food and Drink, The Features
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Capital Chefs: Teddy Diggs of Ripple (Part 1)

Photo courtesy of
‘Teddy Diggs of Ripple’
courtesy of ‘bonappetitfoodie’

At some point in our lives, most of us have had a moment where we stare at the television screen and say to ourselves, “That’s what I want to do with my life.” For some it’s fantasy but for others, like Teddy Diggs, it actually becomes reality.

Diggs, the executive chef of Ripple, grew up on the “old Food Network” as a kid living in Oklahoma. You know, back when Food Network was actually good (that’s my opinion, at least) and aired shows with real chefs, like Bobby Flay and Emeril. So after watching the pros, Diggs became more interested in cooking, went on to take culinary classes in high school in Chantilly, VA, and eventually attended the Culinary Institute of America.

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Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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This Week in Food

Photo courtesy of
‘me + scallops = omg bff!’
courtesy of ‘skampy’
A Big Deal

The week’s biggest food news? Obviously the 2011 RAMMY noms. We Love DC eater Ashley writes that a few restaurants like Bourbon Steak, Citronelle, and Equinox show up a number of times, “but there are a few dark horses out there like Ted’s Bulletin, The Majestic and Liberty Tavern to round out the competition.” The winners will be announced at a ceremony on June 26th, and voters will be able to fill out a ballot that will run in the April 28th issue of The Washington City Paper or online. Check out the full list.

Actually, even bigger: the James Beard Award nominees! Up for Best Chef Awards (in the Mid-Atlantic region) are Cathal Armstrong of Restaurant Eve in Alexandria, Johnny Monis of Komi, and Obelisk’s Peter Pastan. The only national chef or restaurant nomination was for the ubiquitous Jose Andres for “Outstanding Chef.” I back anyone behind Zaytinya, Minibar and Oyamel.

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Dupont Circle, Entertainment, Food and Drink, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Liquid Lessons: Hotel Cocktails

Photo courtesy of
‘Glasses Half Full’
courtesy of ‘Jenn Larsen’

There’s something about the combination of historic grand hotels and cocktail culture that absolutely enchants me. Judging from the crowd waiting to get into the seminar on great hotel cocktails last night at Tabard Inn, I’m not alone. Hosted by Philip Greene of the Museum of the American Cocktail, Better Drinking‘s Derek Brown, and Tabard’s own Chantal Tseng, it was a fascinating evening both informative and funny on the phenomenon of the American hotel cocktail.

The three witty hosts mixed up drinks and dispensed history, from the Prohibition days of revolving bars and secret staircases, to the fabled round table of the Algonquin, to Hawaii’s pink palaces on the sea. We even got to shake up our own Ramos Gin Fizzes (the two minutes of vigorous shaking resulting in the beautiful meringue top of this delicate drink? well worth the effort) while hearing about shady Huey Long bringing that glorious New Orleans cocktail to New York City as a PR stunt. It worked. Continue reading →

Food and Drink
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One Year Later: Ris

photo1
There’s a certain understated elegance to Ris. You could almost miss it if you’re driving by, and believe me I’ve done that many times in the past. Walk inside and you’ll find dark lighting, which somehow works to both set the tone for a romantic date or a loud coversation at the bar. It’s classy, minimalist, and not-stuffy.

As the name suggests, Ris is the dream of owner Ris Lacoste. Chef Lacoste left the famed 1789 in Georgetown back in 2005 and more than four years later started Ris in West End.

The thing about contemporary American cuisine is that it can go so wrong if not done correctly because that “modern” description means that you can pretty much put anything on your menu. Ris shines with its different items and special touches to each dish.
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Capital Chefs, Food and Drink, The Features
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Capital Chefs Reveal their Favorite Kitchen Gadgets

Photo courtesy of
‘Evening Star #15’
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

For weeks now, I’ve been bringing you Capital Chefs interviews. But there’s been something I’ve been holding back and hiding. There’s one question I ask in every interview that I started asking just out of personal curiosity. The question: “What’s the one tool or gadget in your kitchen you can’t live without?”

Some answers are unusual, some may inspire you and maybe a few will make you want to read more of our favorite design blog. If you’re a food nerd like me, you’ll be itching to run to Sur la Table when you’re done reading.

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Eat Like Me, Food and Drink, Foodie Roundup, The Features
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We Love Outdoor Dining: Our Favorite Spots Around Town

Photo courtesy of
‘indigo landing at dusk’
courtesy of ‘needlessspaces’

Now that the weather is starting to turn for the better (don’t mind that pesky rain), all I can think about is eating and drinking outside. And in Washington, where the appropriate outdoor dining season is about two weeks long, it pays to be organized. That is why we’ve put together our favorite spots to sip a beer or have a bite on a patio, deck or sidewalk. Enjoy them, but if you take the last table at one of our favorites, we’re going to be seriously mad.

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