Lick Your Screen: Ribs Edition

Posted by Stefanie Gans / Tuesday, January 24th, 2012

Ribs │ Aldie Country Store│39285 John Mosby Highway, Aldie, VA 20105

Photo by Stefanie Gans

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Will Artley to “Pop Up” in Del Ray

Posted by Sally Traynham / Tuesday, January 24th, 2012

Last night, Will Artley revealed his most recent plans for his pop-up restaurant in Del Ray on Twitter.

Titled “Project 2312,” the fleeting restaurant will be open from January 30 through February 6 with two seatings per night, one at 6 p.m. and one at 8 p.m., and some flexibility for walk-ins at the bar. The menu will feature Artley’s past favorites in an a la carte menu format with four to five options each for the cold and hot appetizers and five to six entrée items.

To wash down the delicious fare, the restaurant will also be serving craft cocktails, a limited wine selection and Port City beer.

Why 2312? The name stems from the location of its temporary home, 2312 Mount Vernon Avenue where Pork Barrel BBQ is located. Because of Artley’s behind the scenes consulting work for the restaurateurs behind the hog-inspired restaurant, they are letting him use the space next door for one week only.

Artley, who is known for his work at Evening Star Café will be bringing on board a few familiar faces from his old restaurant in addition some help from DC Central Kitchen students.

Don’t be surprised if you see other chefs in the building. He teases that some of his chef friends may stop by in the kitchen to play for an evening.

Want to speak to the man himself? Book a reservation at 703-596-2312, which he will be personally answering.

Chef Will Artley Unveils His Pop-Up Plans For Del Ray [Eater DC]

Photo from Artley’s FB

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Hungry for Linkage: Paula Deen Is Irresponsible, Lyon Hall Named Top Beer Bar, Perfect Bacon

Posted by Stefanie Gans / Monday, January 23rd, 2012

Lyon Hall named top 100 beer bar in US. [DRAFT Magazine]

Speaking of, vote for your favorite beer bar, beer retailer and brewery. [NVM]

The irresponsibility of Paula Deen’s diabetes announcement. [NY Post via Eater]

Gluten-free bakery Happy Tart opened in Del Ray. [DelRayPatch]

A vegan learns to butcher. [The Salt]

When to use house-made or homemade? Debate starter. Answer still needed. [The Daily Beast]

How to make perfect bacon. Done and done. [Macheesmo]

Photo by Stefanie Gans, Society Fair opened this weekend.

Beer Me!

Posted by Rebekah Lowe / Friday, January 20th, 2012

Dear beer lovers of NoVA,

Shutterstock.com/Valentyn Volkov

If you’ve spent some time perusing the beer aisle recently or you like to throw one back at your local bar from time to time, we want to hear from you!

For our inaugural beer issue, premiering in May, Northern Virginia Magazine wants to know where you find the best brews in the area. We’ve divided the categories into bars, retail and breweries and hope you’ll plug in your homegrown favorites (i.e., keep the national chains to a minimum.)

Here ya go! Spill it!

cforms contact form by delicious:days

What Does “Ethnic” Mean to Society Fair’s Cathal Armstrong?

Posted by Stefanie Gans / Thursday, January 19th, 2012

The highly anticipated Society Fair opens this Saturday at 6 pm in Old Town. The food emporium will offer gourmet sandwiches (braised short ribs and lamb shoulder), as well as unique cuts of meat, plus cheese and wine.

The restaurant, dubbed “The Demo Kitchen,” will feature a rotating theme from Tuesday through Saturday. (Later on, Sunday and Monday will feature classes such as bread making and charcuterie.)

>>Click here for a sneak peek of the wine bar menu. 

For example, Thursday promises comfort dishes, while Friday features fish. But Tuesday? That’s labeled “ethnic.”

Chef Cathal Armstrong, the power name behind the operation, is a son of Ireland and has lived in the United States since 1990. So how does this immigrant view “ethnic?”

Armstrong laughed when posed the question. He then said to, “Look it up in the dictionary,” and quickly called out to others in the room. He returned with not the controversial answer (I was so clearly digging for), “Food from other nations outside of the United States,” which he lists as Lebanese, Greek, Asian, Thai, Indian and Japanese. The broad term gives the kitchen room to play around, he says.

With only 10 seats, be sure to set a reservation for NoVA’s newest experiment.

Photo: Society Fair

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Hungry for Linkage: Live Tweets from Krispy Kreme Factory, Inhaling Coffee, Society Fair Opens Friday

Posted by Stefanie Gans / Thursday, January 19th, 2012

Chocolate gained new representation, welcome Ms. Brown. [Jezebel]

Society Fair opens this Saturday at 6pm. Here’s a preview. [Eater DC]

Pane e Vino racks up 7 “critical violations” during its last inspection. Check out the full Lorton restaurant inspection results. [LortonPatch]

If you have a cold @krispykreme doughnut, microwave it for 8 seconds. That’s the sweet spot #kkvib2012. Read real-time updates from the Krispy Kreme Doughnut Factory. [@MadelineSho]

Vote for your favorite Vienna dish, Part II. [ViennaPatch]

How much is organic milk? More expensive. [NPR]

You can now inhale caffeine. [Wash Times]

Think you have fun at wineries? Try a bourbon tour in Fredericksburg. [TastingTable]

How to find Pappy Van Winkle in town. [WCP]

A vegan scientist reveals the train wreck that is the “caveman diet.” [Endless Simmer]

Bloom closes in Lake Ridge. [LakeRidge-OccoquanPatch]

What whiskey will not cure… [I Have Eaten the Answers]

Photo by Stefanie Gans, from Saigon Crepes

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Get Perspective. Exercise Hard. But Most Importantly, Eat Well.

Posted by Sally Traynham / Thursday, January 19th, 2012

It’s January, which means gyms are packed. After midnight hits on New Year’s Day, everyone vows to eat better.

Yet, in about four weeks, everyone abandons their newfound health kick and returns to old, unhealthy eating habits.

With our nation’s high obesity rates, our culture’s glorified obsession with all things fried and the recent declaration of food celebrity Paula Deen’s type 2 diabetes diagnosis, we desperately need to get perspective and truly focus on what we eat and how we exercise.

This is where salads come into play. And NoVA has plenty of places filled with the green stuff.

These go-to items for healthy eating (just make sure you aren’t adding bacon, ranch dressing or mountains of cheese) are easy to prepare, easy to find and leave you feeling light (and not dragging) at work.

Here are a few places that are known for healthy and, equally important, tasty creations to get you going in the right direction.

1. Salad & Things Organic (Arlington)
2. Seasons 52 (Falls Church)
3. Sweetgreen (Arlington & Reston)
4. Rabbit (Arlington)
5. Sunflower (Vienna)

Photo: Food Network

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Local is Better: From Northern Virginia to Dubai

Posted by Sally Traynham / Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

On weekends during spring, summer and fall, many Northern Virginians, myself included, flock to farmers markets in search of fresh, local produce. During winter we miss the abundance of fresh herbs, vegetables and fruits that are offered at these beloved stands.

This past week, I had the opportunity to travel to Dubai where I was able to quench my farmers market thirst by visiting a budding farmers market, the first of its kind in Dubai. The market takes place every Friday on a beautiful terrace of Souk Al Bahar and features fresh herbs, vegetables, hot peppers and fragrant spices along with prepared items, such as beautiful breads, kale chips, pastries, confections and an assortment of jams.

You might be thinking, “A farmer’s market in Dubai? Isn’t it mostly desert?”

While you are certainly true about the latter, you might be shocked (I know I was) that there are actually about 38,000 farms in the U.A.E. Many are located within Dubai, while others are rooted in neighboring cities like Abu Dhabi.

With today’s worldwide focus on local foods and reducing carbon footprints, this farmers market has the locals ecstatic. Why? Because many of the locals’ favorites, such as freshly squeezed juices, salads and pickled vegetables, feature fresh produce and fruits at their simplicity. With the market, they can now get these products at the peak of freshness from neighboring farms without a middleman. After experiencing many of these local delicacies first hand, I am not surprised by Dubai’s jump on the farmer’s market bandwagon.

One of my favorite things I tasted while in Dubai was a simple, tall glass of pomegranate juice. It was deep ruby in color and had the perfect balance of tart and sweet with a blaring freshness from being squeezed moments before.

As locals were showing me around, I had the opportunity to eat food that was truly authentic to that region. In Dubai every meal is a feast created from yogurt dips, hummus, pomegranate-dressed salads, fresh bread, fried lamb pieces, lentils, stewed okra, chicken and rice, tabbouleh and stuffed grape leaves. As the weather during this time of year is absolutely perfect, holding consistently around 75˚ with a slight breeze, everyone sits around for hours on end to enjoy the food and each other’s company.

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First Look at Renovated 2941: Battered Economy Led to Dismissal of Fancy French Restaurant

Posted by Stefanie Gans / Wednesday, January 18th, 2012

“The French isn’t going to die. It’s still me cooking,” Chef Bertrand Chemel says, defending his menu change at 2941. The Falls Church restaurant closed last year to renovate the kitchen and to rework the entire menu, turning from fancy French to upper-scale Mediterranean. Chemel expects 2941 to reopen next week.

“For about four years we tried to change the perception,” the French chef admits about his struggling high-end restaurant. “People come here for celebrations and at the end of it, their check was high and that was the only thing they remembered.”

The economy played a role in Chemel’s decision to temporarily shutter the restaurant, acknowledging that selling a tasting menu in this climate–and in Falls Church–wasn’t working any longer. But the dramatic act of closing also let him finally shift attitudes. “We tried to do so many different types of menus and different types of advertisements, but it never changed,” Chemel says, adding, “We do run a business and it shows over the years that the percentage of tasting menu we used to sell, to now, declined a lot.”

With his kitchen equipment starting to break about two years ago, and the battered economy impacting sales about a year ago, Chemel used the opportunity to campaign for his updated restaurant.

Although, the menu won’t reveal a complete change as Chemel has been showcasing pasta dishes for years. The new 2941 will unveil different types of pasta, including buckwheat and chickpea. Another shift stems from ingredients. Before the renovation, only 20 percent of 2941′s ingredients came from local sources. That number will now jump to 50-60 percent.

Local sourcing, however, doesn’t translate to local drinking. Chemel hasn’t warmed to Virginia wines. “It’s very hard to sell to a guest a Virginia wine that we [buy at] $40 a bottle, and after we do the mark-up, they can have another one that comes from California and the quality will be much better,” says Chemel.

Creativity still reigns in 2941′s blended Italian-Spanish-South of France-American restaurant.  ”If they like the dishes I used to make on the tasting menu, I think they will enjoy it as a la carte size or appetizer size,” says Chemel, noting he’ll transfer some of his tasting menu dishes to the standing menu. “What I think those people are looking [for] is to come to a beautiful place, but still to have the same quality food.”

But that doesn’t mean white tablecloths and what New Times food critic Melissa McCart terms, “dinner prison.” “People don’t want to stay two or three hours at the table,” Chemel observes, “and that’s the thing that changed from a long time ago.” Of course though, it will all circle back. “I think food is like cosmetics and clothing,” Chemel opines, ” it’s always going to come back.”

Chemel’s not too saddened about the change though,”I try to make myself happy to make my guests happy. I will still do fine dining, but in a more casual way [with] more friendly service, not surly service…” The native French-speaking chef then quickly chimes in, “I’m not sure about the exact wording.”

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View the photos here.

Photos by Sally Traynham

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Have It Your Way, Now At Home: Burger King Tests Delivery Service in NoVA

Posted by Stefanie Gans / Tuesday, January 17th, 2012

Can’t get your ass to the drive-thru? No worries. Burger King recently started delivery service in Virginia and Maryland and will expand to 16 delivery-starting points by January 23rd.

Check back next week as NoVA Mag HQ will attempt an order from the Centreville location. Unfortunately, it won’t be all our way: BK refuses to cart fountain drinks, milkshakes, coffee and breakfast foods.

And if you’ve ordered already, we’d love to hear from you. Tweet us a pic @NorthernVAMagazine or email the food desk.

Burger King tests out delivery service in Virginia, Maryland [Washington Post]
BK Delivers [BK]

Screen shot from BK

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