Stop Action Viewing From the Kitchen Renovations of 2941

Posted by Stefanie Gans / Wednesday, January 4th, 2012

When there’s a construction crew remodeling your kitchen, it can feel like you haven’t cooked a meal in months. The progress seems slooooow and frustration builds with each costly hour.

Want to watch an even slower renovation process? Check out the Construction Cam placed in the kitchen of 2941. The Falls Church high-end restaurant closed its doors at the beginning of this year to retool the menu (bye bye fancy French, hello more-casual Mediterranean) and update the kitchen and dining room.

The camera only updates once a minute, appearing as if nothing is happening. Maybe we should get some Pixar designers over there to stage some entertaining – and faster – hammer on metal action.

Photo screenshot of 2941.

Hungry for Linkage: Eatie, Semi-Vegan and Chocolate Marshmallows

Posted by Stefanie Gans / Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012

2012′s new foodie word: Eatie. Thank Rachael Ray. [Eater]

Six totally managable home cooking resolutions. [Big Girls Small Kitchen]

Do what Mark Bittman says: Give (semi) vegan a chance. [NYT]

Craft brew goes corporate and with plans for Ballston. [ARLnow.com]

Don’t believe in climate change, just ask the wine industry. [Yale Environment 360 via Serious Eats]

Still indulging? Homemade chocolate marshmallows. [Bakers Royale]

Pizza Hut as nail art (fourth item). [Oddee.com]

And really, just read what The Washingtonian food writers are reading. [Washingtonian]

Photo by Stefanie Gans, fettuccine alla noce at Pulcinella

Lucky Eats

Posted by Rebekah Lowe / Saturday, December 31st, 2011

These New Year’s dishes and desserts are said to bring about good fortune in the coming year!

Pork & Ham
Pigs root forward as they eat, symbolizing progress in the future. (Eating chicken on New Year’s is considered bad luck; they scratch backward.)

St. Basil’s Cake
This Greek cake with a coin baked inside brings luck to the person who gets the slice with the coin!

Grapes
Eating 12 grapes at midnight is a Spanish tradition that foretells the eater’s luck in each month of the upcoming year.

Hoppin’ John & Greens
This Southern dish includes black-eyed peas, which represent coins, and greens, which represent money.

Oliebollen
The round shape of these Dutch fried dough balls with raisins and currants signifies coming full circle.

–Rebekah Lowe

Lusoimages/shuttestock.com (black-eyed peas); Michael C. Gray/shuttestock.com (ham); Richard M Lee /shuttestock.com (cake); Claire VD/shuttestock.com (grapes); Gtranquillity/shuttestock.com (olliebollen)

A Foodie’s Year in Photos

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, December 30th, 2011

It’s been a great end to the year here on the Gut Check, and I’m sad to say that with the end of 2011 I must say farewell.

As my last post, I’m going to capture the highlights of my year with a journey through food-time in photos:

I started here with my farewell to summer, specifically to hot dogs and opened my eyes to all the great diggity dog places NoVA has to offer;

I enjoyed a deconstructed Key Lime Pie a la José Andrés at America Eats Tavern;

I got a free pie;

I made homemade granola for the first time; 

I enjoyed one too many chili half-smokes at Ben’s Chili Bowl;

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Friday File: NoVA’s Much-Deserved Attention; Three Week Summary; Dining Anticipation; Eating Cheaply

Posted by Stefanie Gans / Friday, December 30th, 2011

Some news, eats, ideas, questions, rants, you know, it’s Friday.

NoVA’s Much-Deserved Attention
The lists pour in this time of year and our region’s getting a few nods: Washingtonian names 21 Northern Virginia restaurants in its 100 Very Best Restaurants cover story and Going Out Gurus‘ reader-submitted hit list pegged 25 NoVA dishes out of 40 DMV most essential eats.

Three Week Summary
Hey there. So I’ve been at the mag for three weeks now. It’s a pretty rad gig (although I’m sad to say goodbye — Part 1, Part 2 — to my blog, Endless Simmer).

Thus far, I’ve enjoyed the quaint main-drag of Leesburg, especially the checkerboard tables at Shoes, Cork and Cup; the gorgeous rava masala dosa — and the almost-charming surly service — at Amma Vegetarian Kitchen (pictured); the Santa sighting at Skorpios; the shortribs dog at Lyon Hall; and the seared beef carpaccio at Tallula.

But it hasn’t been all hits: I will ignore the bland mussels at The Grille at Morrison House; I should have taken the bartender’s advice and skipped EatBar‘s chicken and waffles; I should have taken my co-worker’s advice and not have been so excited to try The Wine Kitchen‘s barely-bacony version of chicken and waffles; and I should not have trusted ravioli that needs to rely on a blanket of melted provolone and two sauces, at San Vito Italian Restaurant.

Dining Anticipation
I’m really pumped to dine around Northern Virginia. That’s all.

Eating Cheaply
Help a new girl out. Any cheap eats recommendations? (But no cheap chicken, please.)

Get In Touch
While I’ve lived in Washington, DC for over 10 years, I’m still figuring things out this side of the river. Dining suggestions are welcome. Email me at fooddesk@northernvirginiamag.com.

Happy New Year Dudes.

Photo by Stefanie Gans

Top Eats of 2011: Savory

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Thursday, December 29th, 2011

The countdown continues. Today’s category of food is savory. I’m definitely a sweets person — it’s always all about the sweets, always — but let’s face it, you need real savory food to survive.

So here are my top picks of savory items I’ve consumed in the NoVA area this year. For pure survival, that’s all.

Top Five Savory Foods of 2011:

5. Super Pollo (Arlington)

After a serious hunt for a good Peruvian chicken joint, Super Pollo hit the spot. I never thought I would enjoy plain chicken that much, but with the spice rub that coats the crispy skin with oil, I could probably eat an entire chicken myself. The meat inside is so juicy and tender, and when you dip it in the sauces (I love the spicy green one)  it’s to die for. The sides are great, too, with plenty to choose from. My favorites are the fried yucca and the plantains (see, there’s my sweet tooth again).  

4. Gazpacho at America Eats Tavern (Washington, D.C.)

José Andrés’ benefit restaurant in partnership with the “What’s Cooking, Uncle Sam?” exhibit popped up in D.C.’s Penn Quarter on July 4th and will be closing exactly a year later on July 4, 2012, so if you haven’t been yet, you better go! This was a great dining experience, from the educational aspects of the menus with a history of American food to the typical José Andrés creative molecular gastronomy exhibitions in his food. The gazpacho I had there was easily the best gazpacho I’ve ever had, in its simplicity and bold flavors of individual ingredients coming together in my bowl right before my eyes (literally — the waiter poured the tomato broth over my vegetables and olive oil). 

3. Izakaya Blue Ocean (Fairfax)

If you love sushi as much as I do, you have to make your way over to the deceiving location of the Pickett Shopping Center off Main Street in Fairfax where this hidden sushi haven is located. This is one of the most authentic places I’ve been to in the area, and it makes for an incredible lunch-time experience. The eel-avocado and spicy tuna rolls I had at the sushi bar were spot-on. Great service, too — and, of course, home to my favorite mochi ice cream. 

2. “The New Luther” at ChurchKey (Washington, D.C.)

Fried chicken with smoked bacon on a glazed doughnut? Let’s be honest, this sandwich is the type of food you can only eat once a year — maybe once a lifetime. But 2011 was my year of the New Luther, and I enjoyed every bite. I was debating whether to add this to the savory or sweet list due to the fact that it’s a sandwich with a sweet glazed doughnut in place of your typical bread or bun. But since it’s served for lunch with french fries, I decided it is most certainly savory. The doughnut just adds a nice little sweet tone and balances out the salty fried chicken and bacon. Mmmmmmmmmmm.

1. The Italian Store (Arlington)

This place is heaven to me! When I’m missing all the Italians and likely mobsters from New Jersey, I just take a trip to the Italian Store. I love walking around and seeing their Italian specialties in the store while waiting for my massive, oily, and, best of all cheap, sandwich. They’re all good — from fresh prosciutto to layers of spiced ham with lettuce, tomatoes, onions and hot peppers, doused in oil and vinegar, to the best thing (in my opinion) they offer: their fresh mozzarella.
Melt in your mouth.

-Julia Harbo

How to Eat Cheaply While Avoiding Cheap Chicken?

Posted by Stefanie Gans / Thursday, December 29th, 2011

It’s a glossy’s good friend. An issue that performs well on newsstands and remains in glove boxes for quick reference. March will bring Northern Virginia Magazine’s bargain dining cover story and I’m on the hunt.

It’s a theme that hasn’t changed much over the years, as a fellow food writer blurted out to me, “Cheap Eats means Asian.”

But I want to look past pho and  bánh mì, hot pots and fried rice. I also want to find more than Peruvian chicken and chicken tikka masala.

In fact, I really don’t want to write about chicken at all. Cheap chicken that is.

I found a patriot in Frances Lam earlier this year as he refused to endorse our cheap chicken epidemic:

But what’s a dining editor to do? Not visit perfectly tasty restaurants that happen to serve cheap chicken?

I want to find the best area eats at a fair price, but should that outweigh the conditions in which the bird came to my plate?

It’s something I think about as I taste the flavorful skin at Super Chicken in Falls Church. Is the price worth, well, the price?

Help us find well-sourced, cheap eats. Email tips to fooddesk@northernvirginiamag.com.

Photo courtesy Shtterstock.com/Christian Mokri

Skip DC’s Ketchup Retinkering; Try Lyon Hall’s Housemade Mustards Instead

Posted by Stefanie Gans / Wednesday, December 28th, 2011

Washington City Paper’s Chris Shott has been bitching about housemade ketchup all year. In the food editor’s polemic, 57 Reasons to Hate Homemade Ketchup, Shott tears through restaurants brave enough to attempt the tomato-based concoction, calling it “artisanal glop.” He lists José Andrés’ attempt as “thin syrups” that “look like watercolor paints, and don’t taste much better.” He comes to the poetic conclusion: ”it sucks.”

Shott’s ketchup vendetta even earned a spot on the alt-weekly’s year-end cattle call of trends, disappointments and minor victories.

But I think Shott’s anger might lessen if he traveled to Clarendon for Lyon Hall‘s rendition of a housemade condiment: mustard. Executive Chef Andy Bennett offers a seasonal rotation of mustard varieties, recently showing a pumpkin mustard that works well right from the spoon (or maybe baked into a pie crust).

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Bubbles and Blinis!

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, December 28th, 2011

Image: Ivanova Inga/Shutterstock

Today, Wednesday, December 28, you can start prepping for your New Year’s celebrations with a bubbly wine and blini tasting, or just enjoy the cheap tastes.

Blinis, the small thin Russian pancakes similar to crepes but made with yeasted butter, are usually eaten topped with butter, honey, jam, sour cream or caviar. They’re traditionally eaten to start the New Year with good luck.

The Whole Foods in Vienna will be serving up tastings of bubbly wine and blinis with resident sommelier John Story from 6:30-8 p.m. for $5 per person.

Whole Foods is located at 143 Maple Ave. in Vienna (703-319-2000). For more information go here.

-Julia Harbo

Top Five Sweet Eats of 2011

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, December 27th, 2011

Alright, the countdown begins … five more days till we kiss 2011 goodbye and welcome 2012 with open arms as the year of the world’s possible termination. Just kidding. Maybe.

Anyway, I think now would be an appropriate time to put together a list of the top five things I’ve eaten in the year 2011, since that’s really what determines how successful a year was.

Let’s start with sweets.

Top Five Sweet Eats of 2011:

5. Nutella doughnuts at EatBar/Tallula (Arlington)

These little delights were an unexpected treat before my Sunday morning brunch at EatBar (next-door parent Tallula shares the same menu). The tiny ball of classically airy donut glazed with Nutella, possibly my favorite form of chocolate ever, was the perfect backwards dessert.

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