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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Tags: Alexandria, Cathal Armstrong, Ethnic, Gut Check, new restaurant, Northern Virginia, Northern Virginia Magazine, NoVA, Old Town, Society Fair, Stefanie Gans