After reading former NVM critic Warren Rojas‘ review of Salone‘s in Sterling, I eyed the African restaurant’s peanut soup for a potential Cheap Eats spot <<the March issue lands in stores February 23>>. I started that day in D.C., drove to Chantilly for some desk time, then ate along the way in Middleburg, Aldie, Leesburg and then, finally, to Sterling as the last stop of the trip.

At first I passed the shopping center housing the restaurant, which happens often as I learn the vast coverage area of the magazine. And then I saw Salone’s: dark. I just stared and forgot that I was blocking traffic as I squinted to see open hours because – I swore – I checked and they should have been open at the time.

I parked the car, walked up, and found a white note hanging from inside the closed restaurant.

Salone’s has not responded for comment. Salone’s owes $26, 992.88.

Details after the jump >>>

Photos by Stefanie Gans

[tips for the food desk / follow @gansie]

Surprise! This is vegan.

Valentine’s Day means flowers, chocolate and a delicious dinner. In the years prior, I have celebrated the day of love by enjoying a juicy, grass-fed steak, cooked rare. But, this year is different; we are expecting our second child and eating a well-done steak (under-cooked meat is a no-no for pregnant women) is not on my bucket list.

Sure, I can eat chicken but I have consumed so much chicken in the past few months that I swear I can see feathers growing on my head. So, instead I chose to join vegetarians on a search for a romantic spot for meatless eaters.

Here is a list for the no-steak crowd:

In Paris: The Ashby Inn offers a $79 vegetarian and vegan four course fixed price menu which includes: smoked Brussels sprouts, parsnip purée, soy emulsion and honey crust.

In Falls Church: Sea Pearl Restaurant offers a la carte items, such as toasted pearl couscous, raisins, toasted almonds, chickpeas, preserved lemon and harrissa for $19.

In Clifton:  Trummer’s on Main offers a $72 vegetarian three-course fixed-price menu which includes: Swiss chard and cannellini beans served with Parmesan broth, pine nuts and trumpet royale mushrooms.

[tips for the food desk]

Photo: Shutterstock

]]> http://www.northernvirginiamag.com/gut-check/2012/02/08/meatless-love-vegetarian-dining-on-valentines-day/feed/ 0 http://www.northernvirginiamag.com/gut-check/2012/02/07/the-sound-of-music-melody-taverns-jazz-and-blues/ http://www.northernvirginiamag.com/gut-check/2012/02/07/the-sound-of-music-melody-taverns-jazz-and-blues/#comments Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:08:32 +0000 Sally Traynham http://www.northernvirginiamag.com/?p=82309

Hidden within the Eclipse Condo Complex on the edge of Crystal City, Melody Tavern, made its debut Friday as a live-music venue (after initially opening in 2011) offering premier jazz and blues and a menu of (mostly) American fare with a hint of creole.

During last Friday’s party celebrating its recently acquired live music permit, I was able to snag a high-top table among the reasonably crowded room. Between segments of Lena Seikaly’s soothing jazz set, I sampled simple skirt steak sliders, each topped with a scant helping of caramelized onions on a bun overwhelmed with butter on its exterior.

Luckily, crispy pieces of fried yucca overshadowed the overcooked beef. Unfortunately, an accompanying sauce was not provided for these perfectly golden nuggets.

Open late night for most of the week, Melody Tavern features plenty of seating with a bar that spans almost the length of the room, ensuring that you can see all of the entertainment in action.

Check out Melody Tavern’s line up for this weekend, which includes jazz and pop vocals, a New Orleans-style band and a jazz saxophonist.

Photo by: Sally Traynham

[tips for the food desk]

Get pumped for Super Bowl XLVI, Sunday’s rematch between the epic teams that faced off in 2008. Whether you are a Pat’s fan or represent NY and the Giants, we have the inside scoop on the best food and drink deals for the big game.

Arlington Cinema N Drafthouse, for the big screen experience in comfy chairs and tableside service.

Capitol City Brewing Company, for handcrafted beer.

Clare & Don’s Beach Shack, for an all you can eat buffet. ($15 pp)

Crystal City Sports Pub, for a Super Bowl themed menu. ($35 pp, reservations required)

Glory Days Grill, for burgers, wings and BBQ.

The Green Turtle, for Super Bowl giveaways.

Hard Times Café, for traditional football fun.

Jimmy’s Old Town Tavern, for football pool prizes and 50-cent wings.

Kalypso’s Sports Tavern, for $2 Miller Lite Drafts.

Kilroys Restaurant & Sports Bar, for nachos, wings and pizza.

Murphy’s Irish Pub, for the true Patriot experience.

Polo Grill Restaurant, for 35-cent wings and $2 Bud Lights and Miller Lights.

Velocity Five, for tvs galore.

Virtue Feed & Grain, for a “souper” bowl between New England and Mahattan chowders while watching the game.

Whitlows on Wilson, for the big screen and beer specials.

Wildfire, for a big game buffet. ($45 pp)

Photo by: Shutterstock/Steve Cukrov

[tips for the food desk]

There are only three requirements for any Super Bowl party:  beer to drink, bites to eat and a big TV screen to watch.  Assuming the flat screen’s already mounted to the wall, you just need to think about grub. Sure, you could spend all day in the kitchen and then hours washing dishes; you could also grab Miller Lite and frozen pizza from the grocery store, but that’s no way to celebrate (or jeer) the Giants and Pats. Host the perfect Super Bowl party with some tasty and local NoVA goodies.

Chips and Dips

• Tomatillo salsa and black bean and garlic dip, from Bigg Riggs Farm
• Locally grown Route 11 potato chips from The Local Market in Falls Church

Pizza and Sandwiches

• Tony’s New York Pizza, authentic NY style pizza (for the Eli fans)
• The Italian Store, for a proper spread: The All American offers three meats, three cheese and accompaniments, priced per person
• Lost Dog Cafe, open-faced finger sandwiches for polite pig skin fans

Beer

• Growler to-go at any of the Great American Restaurants 
• Dogfish Head Alehouse for its famed 60 Minute IPA
• Norms Beer and Wine for interesting craft selections

 Photo: Shutterstock/Igor Dutina

[tips for the food desk]

After selling 3,000 barrels of beer and giving over 7,000 brewery tours, Port City Brewing Company celebrates its one year anniversary this Friday. To commemorate, head brewer Jonathan Reeves has brewed ONE, a Belgian Imperial Stout that the Alexandria-based brew house describes as rich, dark and strong with flavors of espresso, dark Swiss chocolate and a touch of orange zest.

With only one batch brewed, you won’t want to miss out on this commemorative beer, which you can find tomorrow after 6 p.m. at select restaurants and bars in Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Why after 6 p.m.?  Because that is the designated time when there will be the simultaneous tappings of ONE at participating spots. Find the closest pint of ONE via Port City Brewing Company’s Facebook and Twitter.

PS–Don’t forget to vote in our best of NoVA beer poll. 

Photo: Port City

[tips for the food desk]

An almost life-size banner of Chef Will Artley hangs from the building housing his pop-up restaurant, Project 2312. For eight days, Artley and his quickly-assembled crew of friends and former collegaues–”We’re getting the band back together”–will fill the space of Chop Chop, a catch-all, casual Asian concept, launching in the next three weeks.

Project 2312 opened last night; reservations are booked for the duration, although about ten open bar seats are available.

>>>View First Night Menu

Since leaving Evening Star Cafe, down the road from his now temporary kitchen, Artley’s been consulting for restauranters “Mango” Mike Anderson and Bill Blackburn. Artley jumped on four days before the launch of Pork Barrel BBQ, re-testing recipes and training staff, and has since worked on the menu for their next concept, Chop Chop.

Restaurants require much paperwork to open so with Chop Chop still weeks from service, Artley eyed the unused space.

“In about 20 minutes,” Artley brags, he convinced Anderson and Blackburn to lend him Chop Chop’s space to open a quickie restaurant. After the successful, and hurried, Artley-led premiere of Pork Barrel, he simply asked the two owners, “Have I failed you yet?” A plea to bestow the place for good, however, was dismissed.

Project 2312, named for its address on Mt. Vernon Ave., lets Artley reminisce with past inventions (a sweet carrot emulsion from the farm table dinners at Planet Wine) as well as experiment with the flexibility of a beet (sliced then rolled to resemble a cannoli).

During the second seating last night, servers calmly weaved between tables as moody instrumental music played louldly. Available dishes, handwritten, fill one sheet of paper: four options each of cold and hot appetizers and four entrees, two fish, one duck, one beef and no vegetarian option. The bottom left corner reads Artley’s signature, often a sign of a keepsake, although not this time.

Yellow beets wrap a filling of whipped goat cheese, the ends dusted with pistachios and black pepper, cleverly imitating a cannoli. Cubed magenta beets float around the plate, a reminder this is dinner, not dessert. But unlike an abundance of sweetened ricotta, too much goat cheese overloads the earthy root vegetable, sitting atop the caramel-like carrot sauce.

Truffled cream sauce surrounds meaty spinach gnocchi, the winner of the first round, while a chicken mousse served too cold is unable to reveal any flavor.

An old sous-chef of Artley’s collaborated on the menu, bringing a collection of the cliche-is-true cocktail napkins scribbled with recipe ideas to a first meeting. Project 2312 came together in about two and a half weeks, including Artley building tables (peek underneath the black cloth for an unfinished top), installing a sink over the weekend, renting $700 worth of silverware and convincing his friend to abandon a landscaping job to aid in the creation of the restaurant.

“I like the finesse of fine dining, but the comfort of comfort food,” is how Artley pitched his cooking. Braised collards, massaged with vinegar and chili, feel familiar while unexpected smoky cauliflower brings texture to the accompanying softened greens. Salmon, a fish that needs no masking, is punished by a charred, crusty coating that can’t distract from the over-cooked flesh.

Chop Chop’s deep red walls, imprinted with red swirling dragons, overflow to the plate as tender, rosy sliced duck meets a soy sauced-Brussels sprout hash for a welcome hint of Far East.

Artley greets each table, thanking guests and asking for criticism. While consulting, the kitchen-less chef has been both interviewing at restaurants and looking for space in the months since leaving Evening Star. “I’ve done two tastings in one day, three interviews in one day and I’ve gotten a lot of offers and I’ve just been waiting,” Artley says about trying to find his new gig. “It doesn’t have to be perfect, it just has to be right.”

Artley insists the pop-up is “just for fun,” although a sold-out show can’t hurt his campaign for a new job. This partly self-financed venture started with an end date and Artley craves a home, telling Anderson and Blackburn, “how much I missed my own kitchen.”

After dropping a gratis plate of crispy chocolate chip cookies and a small glass of frothy milk, the server thanked us for dining. Glaringly missing: the requisite next line, “We hope to see you again.”

Photo by Stefanie Gans

The stress of Valentine’s Day may be looming on your shoulders as February kicks off tomorrow. This year, plan ahead and avoid the craziness of Valentine’s Day goers looking to drop loads of cash on fancy dinners.

Instead, stay in, simplify life and enjoy the evening with your loved one by doing something different than selecting items off the traditional prix-fixe menu.

Need Ideas? Here’s my list:

1 . Have a Movie Night with a Kicked-Up Snack.
Customize a movie list for the perfect evening with you and your beaux, but don’t forget the popcorn. Because you are not eating out this year, splurge by making some truffle butter. Buy some truffle salt and sprinkle it over perfectly popped and buttered popcorn. [William Sonoma - truffle salt]

2. Pack a Picnic.
Since Mother Nature can’t make up her mind, this year might be a perfect year for a picnic at sunset. However, even if you decide to take the party inside and enjoy the warm fire, open up that blanket and indulge in a spread that includes wine, food and sweet treats. [World Market - cozy blankets]

3. Taste New Beers and Wines.
If beer and wine is your thing, set up an at-home, customized tasting for the evening. Try a few glasses from new breweries or vineyards and pair them with chocolate or cheese. [The Hour Shop - modern glassware/barware]

4. Dip Strawberries.
Nothing is more delicious and sexy than a chocolate dipped strawberry. Buy strawberries and dark and white chocolate at the store and set up a strawberry dipping bar. Eat them right away or let them set up and feed them to each other after dinner for an exceptionally sexy Valentine’s Day. [Frans Cake & Candy Supplies - tools for dipping strawberries]

5. Make S’mores.
Cozy up around a fireplace or an outdoor grill and roast marshmallows that will sandwich perfectly in between two graham crackers and some dark chocolate. [The Dairy Godmother - homemade marshmallows]

Photo: Shutterstock/bonchan

[tips for the food desk]

America’s most powerful people in food: the top 10 slots are dominated by corporate America (Monsanto, McDonalds, Walmart) and the bottom 10 slots are filled with crusaders (Bittman, United Farm Workers, PETA). [The Daily Meal]

Evening Star scored a glowing two stars from WaPo and started brunch service this weekend. Anyone check it out? [WaPo, Washingtonian]

Michael Landrum must get bored easily. He started a new concept (is it the fourth one in so many months?) with Retro Ray’s, intended as overflow seating for the original Ray’s the Steaks, but with an emphasis on higher-end liquors and cognacs. The same menu will be found at both Ray’s, save for the “retro” (aka 2003) prices at Retro Ray’s. (PS-Ray’s the Steaks at East River opened this weekend.)  [ARLnow.com, WCP]

Meat Week lands in NoVA: Pork Barrel BBQ tomorrow and Memphis BBQ on Friday. [Meat Week]

Feeling guilty about eating all those animals? Meet-Free Week begins February 6th. Arlington’s Guajillo Grill offers a 3-course prix fixe menu, with vegan choices, for $35. [DC Vegan]

Do This. [Mostly Cabbages]

Don Rockwell praises Yechon‘s new take-out menu (Good, Noteworthy), enjoys La Caraqueña‘s arepas and its lunch carry-out (Excellent, Noteworthy) and can barely believe the cheap beer pricing at Bollywood Bistro, as well as its large-portioned vegetarian entrees (Very Good). [DC Dining.com]

In totally non-shocking news, McLean’s Chocolate Festival deemed a success. [McLeanPatch]

Where you should eat breakfast, says Kathleen Nixon. [Falls Church Times]

Missing your fix of local radishes? Sign up for a CSA. [WaPo]

The Girl Scouts turn 100. It’s about damn time there’s a new cookie: Savannah Smiles. What’s your favorite? [OTAlexandriaPatch]

Photo by Stefanie Gans, rare roast beef from South Side Under

[tips for the food desk / follow @gansie]

Everybody loves a box of chocolates on Valentine’s day, but this year, kick it up a notch and treat your special someone to one of these outrageously delicious and unique Valentine’s Day noshes.

If you want to keep with the chocolates theme, head to Artisan Confections where Jason Andelman creates beautiful chocolate masterpieces in one bite. Each piece of chocolate is covered in a stunning design created by a local artist. With flavors such as lemon-rose, port wine-fig and raspberry caramel, you can’t go wrong.

For something different, delve into the world of macarons. These French confections are known for their light, but bold flavors. PastryXPO offers various sizes of macaron gift boxes with flavors that you can mix and match.

Alexandria Pastry Shop is the place to go for a light, moist and perfectly balanced cake. For this lover’s holiday, they will be selling their chocolate raspberry marquis and red velvet cakes in heart shapes – the perfect ending to any Valentine’s Day.

Looking for quantity? Buy cookies. The Swiss Bakery and Pastry Shop is featuring linzer cookies with heart-shape cut outs, allowing you to see the delicious jam sandwiched in between.

As a lighter option, try a fresh fruit tart from Café Rumi. These creations are stunning to look at and are hand-crafted from the freshest, all natural ingredients. You won’t even notice the absence of chocolate.

Photo: Shutterstock/Sabino Parente

[tips for the food desk]