Hungry For Linkage: Food Trucks in Alexandria + Free Donut + Astronaut Pizza
Posted by Kate V. Comfort / Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013
(Shutterstock/debr22pics)
Not traveling for Memorial Day weekend? Console yourself with a free Key Lime Krispy Kreme donut if you and a friend check in to any Krispy Kreme location today on Foursquare. [KrispyKreme]
City considers permitting food trucks in Alexandria. A great new dining option or an additional complication to the existing parking nightmare? [Patch]
Space age answer to world hunger? NASA funds a grant for the research and development of a 3D food printer. The machine would use “alternative food source options…such as algae, duckweed, grass, lupine seeds, beet leaves and even insects.” Among the first prototypes to be developed is 3D pizza printer. Watch out, astronaut ice cream. [Yahoo]
A third location of Sweet Leaf Cafe opened in the Courthouse neighborhood of Arlington this past weekend. Other Northern Virginia locations for the cafe are in McClean and Vienna. [ARLNow]
Peanut Butter and Jelly Crispy Brown Rice Bars. [Endless Simmer]
To counter the 27% unemployment rate across the country La Trobada restaurant in Terrassa, Spain allows customers to work in exchange for meals. The effort keeps the restaurant doors open and attempts to reinvigorate a disenfranchised underemployed community during a crippling recession. [NYDT]
Cocoa Vienna to open this weekend on Church St. [Patch]
The Reign of El Cachudo: Mike vs. Guajillo Grill’s 4-Meat Burrito
Posted by Stefanie Gans, Dining Editor / Tuesday, May 21st, 2013
Superman is meant to fly. Spider-man is meant to spew cobwebs from his hand. Don Draper is meant to look infuriatingly handsome. And dares are meant to be met, even if the challenge is outrageous, especially for a week night.
My co-worker Mike, the designer of Relish, the food section’s print pages, came with my husband and me to Guajillo Grill in Arlington. In the middle of the menu, boxed in red, we stared at the description for El Cachudo:
“We challenge you to take on the BIGGEST, BADDEST & HOTTEST burro de la casa. Get 4 types of meat, rice, beans & yummy voo-doo salsa. If you finish it, it’s on us!”
Mike looked at the menu. He saw his calling.
He tore through the flour tortilla pulling it to the side of the plate. He dug right into the shredded, identifiable meat. With every bite, the voo-doo salsa became hotter. Mike ate tortilla chips in between bites to cool his burning tongue.
Mike did not finish the burrito. El Cachudo won.
Posted by Lindsey Jenkins / Tuesday, May 21st, 2013
Zigzag Mountain Art/ Shutterstock.com
Emily Nichols Grossi, Em-i-lis Catering owner, will hold a free canning and preserving seminar tomorrow at Twins Ace Hardware in Fairfax. [Fairfax Patch]
RGIII fans purchase kitchen goods for the quarterback’s wedding registry. [Yahoo]
Bobby’s Burger Palace opens today in Potomac Mills. [Woodbridge Patch]
A match made in food heaven: find out which chips pair well with your favorite sandwich. [Food Republic]
Five D.C. area restaurants, including NoVA’s TNT Bar, make special cocktails for fans to win a chance for tickets to The Rammy Awards‘ June 23 Gala. [NVMwire]
Andrew Zimmerman interviews Yelp Director of Affairs, Luther Lowe. [Eater]
Kellogg introduces new (low calorie) brand, Special K Nourish. [HuffPo]
May is Celiac Awareness Month: Five Gluten-Free Restaurants in NoVA
Posted by Lindsey Jenkins / Monday, May 20th, 2013
Dejan Stanisavljevic/ Shutterstock.com
May is Celiac Awareness Month, dedicated to bring awareness of the autoimmune disorder characterized by gluten (a protein found in wheat, barley and rye) intolerance, from which one out of 141 Americans suffer. In honor of gluten-intolerance, or just healthy eating, we’ve hunted down and highlighted five NoVA restaurants that offer gluten-free menu items.
Rustico
Rustico, a restaurant that is known for its beer and pizza serves both items gluten-free every day. The Rustico gluten-free pizza uses a chick pea crust instead of the normal wheat option. Pizza toppings include a long list of different cheeses (goat, feta and Gouda), meats and veggies. To wash down your gluten-free pizza, grab any of Rustico’s six gluten-free beers, such as Anheuser-Busch‘s Redbridge, Bard’s Tale Beer Company‘s Bard’s Gold or a Spanish brew, Estrella Damm Daura. / 827 Slaters Lane, Alexandria; 4075 Wilson Blvd., Arlington.
Holy Cow Read the rest of this entry »
Del Ray‘s self-proclaimed gourmet burger shop, Holy Cow, not only has gluten-free buns for its Angus burger (or its quinoa veggie, ground turkey, chicken or tuna burgers), it also has gluten-free fries. Holy Cow’s sweet potato fries are cooked in a gluten-free deep fryer and served with (I hope you’re sitting down…) a marshmallow dipping sauce. / 2312 Mt Vernon Ave., Alexandria.
Hungry for Linkage: Virginia Wineries + 2941 Spring and Summer Menu Deal + KFC Smuggling
Posted by Stefanie Gans, Dining Editor / Monday, May 20th, 2013
shutterstock.com/ultimathule
Tom Sietsema‘s Spring Dining Guide revisits three NoVA restaurants, two of which he says to visit. [WaPo]
Virginia wineries ailing after late season frosts. [WBJ]
2941 in Falls Church offering a three course dinner for two for $79. [Eater]
PBR-crazed hipsters raising prices of cheap beer. [HuffPo]
The underground world of KFC smuggling. [NPR]
“New research is showing that the immigrant advantage wears off with the adoption of American behaviors – smoking, drinking, high-calorie diets and sedentary lifestyles.” [NYT]
Posted by Lindsey Jenkins / Friday, May 17th, 2013
Celebrate Jamie Oliver‘s Food Revolution Day at a REAL (Responsible Epicurean and Agricultural Leadership) certified restaurant today, such as Busboys & Poets. [NVMwire]
Dean Feddaoui, head bartender of Jackson 20 gives the cocktail menu a makeover. [Eater DC]
Prison inmate sues Taco Bell, says he invited the Doritos Locos Taco. [HuffPo]
Food for thought: Food Tank highlights 24 food-centric TED Talks worth watching. [NVMwire]
Receive offers, discounts and wine…from your local newspaper. Sign up for The Washington Post‘s newest venture, the Wine Club. [WaPo]
Marriot opens new restaurant, Shutters Bar & Kitchen, in Tysons Corner, fully equipped with Virginia wines, whiskeys and ham. And shuffleboards. [Eater DC]
Need something to do (or eat) this weekend? Check out our Food and Wine Calendar for a long list of this weekend’s eating-events.
Lick Your Screen: Crispy Noodles Edition
Posted by Stefanie Gans, Dining Editor / Thursday, May 16th, 2013
Photo by Stefanie Gans
Buddah’s Noodle, vegetables, tofu, vegetarian meat with cripsy egg noodles | Dragonfly Bistro | Centreville
[Do you have a lick-worthy photo? Send it in: food desk]
Hungry for Linkage: Bill Pullman, Fruit Hunter + Taste of Arlington + Summer Cookbook Preview
Posted by Stefanie Gans, Dining Editor / Thursday, May 16th, 2013
Bill Pullman is a great president, but maybe he’s a better fruit hunter.
A tea for every day of the year. [Laughing Squid]
“Nothing is certain but death and taxes. And chicken nuggets on children’s menus.” [The Guardian]
Maple syrup gets fancy. [Slate]
Taste of Arlington is this Sunday. [Patch]
Summer cookbook preview. [Eater]
Free food at Red Parrot Bistro’s grand opening next week. [ARLnow]
The Craft Beer Craze Continues: 8 Breweries Opening in NoVA within a Year
Posted by Zachary Westlake / Wednesday, May 15th, 2013
Valentyn Volkov/ Shutterstock.com
Last month, we previewed seven NoVA breweries, in varying stages of construction, that are joining the craft beer craze. We’ve checked in with all of them to get a progress update. Mark your calendar and grab your growler, the beer is coming.
Opening later this month: BadWolf Brewing Company
We spoke with Jeremy and Sarah Meyers, owners of BadWolf Brewing Company in Manassas, who are hoping to be open to the public at the end of this month. You can check out BadWolf’s construction process with photos via its Facebook page. / 9776 Center St., Manassas.
Opening next month: Forge Brew Works Read the rest of this entry »
Forge Brew Works stakes its claim in Lorton. Husband and wife Matt and Kerri Rose, owners of Forge Brew Works, signed on to a location that will become available in June, and will begin construction shortly after. Matt continues to work on beers through a pilot system, while getting the larger system ready. Forge Brew Works is also in the process of finalizing all licensing. /8532 Terminal Road, Suite L, Lorton.
Hungry For Linkage: More Craft Beer + Salty City Water + Tofu Society
Posted by Kate V. Comfort / Wednesday, May 15th, 2013
(Shutterstock/Karelnoppe)
Due to the continued increasing popularity of Alexandria’s own craft beer, Port City Brewing Company is expanding for the second time since it opened in 2011. With the arrival of additional tanks Port City will double its current production to 200,000 cases annually. [Alexandria Times]
According to the company publication, The Permanente Journal, Kaiser Permanente health insurance provider is now recommending that all of its healthcare providers encourage patients to move to a “plant-based diet.” Will insurance providers one day make meat eaters pay high premiums? [The Permanente Journal]
Agricultural bio-tech giant, Monsanto prevails in in Supreme Court ruling against an Indiana soybean farmer for patent infringement. Meanwhile, Hungary destroys 1,000 acres of Monsanto-based maize. Monsanto: A superseed or the root of all genetically modified evil? [Modern Farmer, WhyDon'tYouTryThis, Real Agriculture]
Alexandria City’s water may contain more than the recommended amounts of sodium for those on dietary restrictions, according to VA American Water. [Patch]
Constantly Instagraming food is more than just annoying, in fact, obsessive food photography may indicate eating disorders and mental illness. [Eater]
Charlottsville-area egalitarian society Twin Oaks produces extremely popular and much-lauded tofu to fund their collectivist lifestyle. WaPo food editor Joe Yonan visits the commune to learn the secrets of their soy-based success. [WaPo]