Posts Tagged ‘Clydes’
Posted by Warren Rojas / Tuesday, August 16th, 2011
Being comfy in the kitchen is one thing. But chef Keith Fedorko is just as at home out in the fields:
The Willow Creek Farm toque treasures the 2-acre farm–featuring 21 planting beds that alternately support: tomatoes, French beans, peas, assorted hot and sweet peppers, rosemary, thyme, Swiss chard, escarole, potatoes, corn and, potentially, sunchokes–that rings his exurban restaurant, crediting it, and the seasonal bounty, with constantly challenging his natural curiosity and culinary showmanship. “It keeps us on our toes,” he said of the steady rotation of raw materials.
WR: Salt. Pepper. What other culinary elements could you not live without?
KF: Butter, pork, root vegetables, stocks (veal,chicken, fish) and flour
WR: What’s the very first dish you ever mastered? How long did it take? Do you still make it today?
KF: The first dish that I ever mastered was lightly dusted skate wing with brown butter sauce and capers. Having to butcher whole skate wing was what took the most time in preparing this dish. I still make this dish occasionally.
WR: What seasonal ingredient(s) get your creative juices flowing?
KF: For winter monkfish, for spring soft shell crab, for summer tomatoes and for fall duck
WR: My latest cookbook obsession is …
KF: I’ve always been and will be obsessed with Harold McGee On Food And Cooking, and all of James Peterson’s cookbooks
WR: What’s the most challenging dish you’ve ever attempted? Would you make it again?
KF: The most challenging dish I’ve ever made was coq au vin. I make this dish in late fall every year.
WR: If I could spend the day working alongside any local chef, I’d love to collaborate with …
KF: Chef Cathal Armstrong
WR: What’s the easiest/quickest–but still wholly satisfying–meal you make for yourself?
KF: Kabob koobide with rice, grilled tomato and summak
WR: In the next six months you won’t want to miss my …
KF: New fall entrees from my chef team at Willow Creek Farm
WR: It’s quitting time. I’m pouring myself …
KF: Pint of Guinness
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Skate wing in brown butter is one of our favorites, too. Can’t wait to try your version.
Come back next Tuesday for another helping of Red Meat.
–Warren
Best of American Craft Beer Week
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, May 17th, 2011
American Craft Beer Week (Image: craftbeer.com)
The American Craft Beer Week (May 16 – May 22) is on all throughout the star spangled country and we have a boatload of beer events right here in Northern Virginia. Too many for one person to tackle on their own, we’ve sifted through the listings to find a few of the most tempting events popping up in Virginia. The DC Beer Events calendar has a more thorough listing, as does the Craft Beer Week website. Happy boozing!
TUESDAY, MAY 17
- DC Brau Meet & Greet at Fire Works Pizza (Clarendon)
May 17, 5:00pm – 7:30pm
2350 Clarendon Blvd. Arlington, VA (map)
DC brewing scene hot shots and media darlings DC Brau will be on hand at Fire Works Pizza in Clarendon. DC Brau CEO Brandon Skall and head brewer Jeff Hancock will be pouring pints of their new American Pale Ale “The Public.” Details.
- American Craft Beer Week Specialty Draft Features at Rustico (Alexandria)
May 17, 6pm – 9pm
827 Slater’s Lane, Alexandria, VA 22314 (map)
Rustico will be flexing its beer muscles this week with a ACBW specialty draft list that will include: Flying Dog Imperial IPA, Single Hop Simcoe, Sierra Nevada Southern Hemisphere Harvest Ale, Sierra Nevada Ovila, Samuel Adams East-West Kolsch, Breckenridge Lucky U IPA. Folks at the Ballston location can take advantage on Wednesday. Details.
- Crafts for a Cause: Sam Adams Dinner at Fish Market (Alexandria)
May 17, 6pm – 8pm
105 King St., Alexandria, VA (map)
Sam Adams will be joining Alexandria’s Fish Market for a five-course beer dinner. The meal will pair some of Fish Market’s finest entrees with a nice array of Adams beers. The full menu is here, but for the lazy, the featured beers are Sam Adams Boston Lager, Lite, Coastal Wheat, Irish Red and Double Bock. Price is $49.99 per person. Dinner starts at 6, so don’t be late.
WEDNESDAY, MAY 18
- Tour & Meet the Brewers Night at Mad Fox (Falls Church)
May 18, 5pm – 8pm
444 W Broad St Falls Church, VA (map)
The folks over at Falls Church’s own Mad Fox Brewing will be hosting a meet and greet with their brewers Bill Madden and Charlie Buettner Wednesday evening. The pair will offer a tour of the facilities and answer any of your questions. Don’t forget to stop in and check out their really nice looking bar. http://madfoxbrewing.com/
THURSDAY, MAY 19
- Old Dominion Tasting at Harry’s Tap Room (Arlington)
May 19, 6pm – 8pm
2800 Clarendon Boulevard Arlington, VA (map)
Deleware’s Old Dominion brewery will be presenting a bevy of beers at Harry’s on Thursday. According to the site’s facebook page, the beers will include drafts of Oak Barrel Stout, Fordham Helles Lager and Harry’s Ale (Dominion Ale), and will also have bottles of Hop Mountain Pale Ale. Details.
- Crafts for a Cause: Beer 101 at Total Wine (McLean)
May 19, 7pm – 9pm
1451 Chain Bridge Rd., McLean, VA
Harpoon and Saranac will have representatives at Total Wine in McLean this Thursday. The breweries will be showcasing their beer, answering questions, and, hopefully, hurling insults at one-another.
FRIDAY, MAY 20
- Flying Dog Farm-to-Table Dinner at Patowmack Farm (Lovettsville)
May 20, 5pm – 8pm
42461 Lovettsville Road, Lovettsville, VA (map)
The fun part about Craft Beer Week is that it’s not just contained to the metropolitan areas or even the suburbs. Flying Dog will be hosting a farm-to-table dinner waaaay out in Lovettsville on Friday at the Patowmack Farm restaurant. There’s no indication of what will be on the menu, but the website promises local, organic, seasonal cuisine thoughtfully paired with a range of Flying Dog brews. Price is $65 per person and dinner hits the table at 6:30 so… have fun getting out there in time. Details.
SATURDAY, MAY 21
- Starr Hill Dinner at Clyde’s (Tyson’s Corner)
May 21, 7:00pm – 9:30pm
8332 Leesburg Pike, Vienna, VA 22182 (map)
Clyde’s in Tyson’s will be pairing up its executive chef Brian Stickel with Mark Thompson from Charlottesville’s Starr Hill Brewery for a four-course paired menu. Only 50 spots will be available at $40 a head. Menu promises local asparagus with country ham, steamed Pei mussels, crispy roasted pork belly and more. Beers on hand will be Starr Hill’s Lucy Spiced Golden Ale, Amber Ale, Northern Lights IPA and Dark Starr Stout. Full menu and details.
- Kris King
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, December 3rd, 2010
Different seasons yield different foods and drinks to me. In the summer, I enjoy a cold, light beer. In the fall, I enjoy wine and darker beers with flavors of cinnamon and pumpkin. Winter is the time for holiday cocktails.
(Image: Let’s Entertain)
This is the best time of year for cocktails, because you can get really creative with the flavors and the presentation. You can enjoy adult beverages in many flavors from a Gingersnap made with Crown Royal and Ginger Syrup to a Candy Cane Martini made with vodka, peppermint schnapps and peppermint candy.
(Image: Bar None Drinks)
Visions of sugared rims and candy garnishes dance in my head. You can even make simple milk and cookies seem like a special treat with a cool presentation.
(Image: La Bella Betina)
Try some holiday cocktail recipes at home, or hang out at Old Ebbitt Grill, Willow Creek Farm, or any Clyde’s location. Their cocktail list has many winter drinks that will keep you warm.
Some that sound enticing include the Cinnamon Spice made of Crown Royal, Goldschlagger, and Cranberry juice and the Snickerdoodle which consists of Godiva Chocolate Liqueur, Frangelico, Caramel Vodka, Hot Chocolate, whipped cream, and caramel sauce. Sounds like a festive party in a glass to me.
-Liz Stevenson
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, October 13th, 2010
(Image: Simply Local Food)
For those who don’t know, we’re in the middle of yet another theme dining week: American Farmland Trust’s inaugural “Dine Out for Farms” initiative.
The plan is simple enough: patronize those restaurants that support your local farms and help perpetuate the circle of sustainable agriculture/conscientious dining while getting a fabulous meal in the process.
We tried (unsuccessfully) to glean any DOfF week specials from the AFT, but were able to cull the roster of participating local restaurants:
*American Flatbread – Arlington, Ashburn;
* Clyde’s – Reston;
* Cock & Bowl;
* Open Kitchen;
* Wildfire; and,
So, if you’ve got some coin to spend and are looking to put your money where your mouth should be anyway, why not add these eco-activists to this week’s dining rotation?
It might even become a habit…
–Warren
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, March 17th, 2010
(Image: Daily Yonder)
When FriendsEAT co-founder Antonio Evans released his “Top 100 Restaurants Using Twitter,” I was pleasantly surprised to find that D.C.-Metro restaurants made up over one-fifth (21 total) of the honorees and that several NoVA properties were prominently featured (#87 – Lebanese Taverna, #83 – Liberty Tavern, #45 – Vinifera, #9 – Busboys & Poets).
But as I perused the salute to social media skills, it became clear that I had no clue what criteria Evans had used to build his restaurant roll call.
Some had beaucoup followers but seemed stingy with their tweets. Others were clearly just regurgitating content originally disseminated elsewhere.
Although Evans declined to provide the specific methodology employed–he did maintain that the list had not been seeded with undisclosed clients from his Binary Bits PR operation–here’s a pseudo-explanation:
“We looked at a combination of off-site (meaning how they are represented outside of twitter), total follower, amount of tweets, and user engagement. Together with the Twitter API [and] along with a lot of data mining we got our answer,” he suggested.
Clear as concrete.
We’ve been tracking NoVA’s tweeting elite for some time now. And since I’ve not yet had a chance to do any significant data mining, here is my totally unscientific take on the most consistently engaging, feedback-hungry and, quite often, thoroughly entertaining hospitality agents working it 140 characters at a time:
* BGR: regularly mixes things up with followers, openly solicits new burger/shake suggestions
* Chef Geoff’s: constant updates, crazy specials/dining discounts
* Clyde’s: tosses out specials/tweetup invites at almost a fever pitch
* Dairy Godmother: a whole lot of dairy love sprinkled with community activism
* Georgetown Cupcake: the daily “secret flavor” alert alone is worth a follow
What local restaurants are on your must-follow list?
–Warren
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, February 16th, 2010
Image: Cajun Grocer
Mardi Gras. Carnival. Fat Tuesday. Shrove Tuesday. Pancake Day.
Whatever you want to call it, it’s time to participate in some serious celebrating at local restaurants.
-Throw on the party beads and eat your King Cake at 2941. In honor of Mardi Gras, all diners will receive a complimentary King Cake today, regardless if you order off the prix-fixe four-course menu or a la carte.
-Fat Tuesday’s will have several bands performing throughout the evening, starting at 3 p.m.
-Clyde’s at Mark Center will have their annual Mardi Gras party featuring live music starting at 6 p.m. For $25 enjoy an all-you-can-eat crawfish boil with corn, potatoes and andouille sausage.
-Buzz will have King Cakes all day.
-The 2nd Annual Mardi Gras on King Street will take place at the Fish Market. Celebrate five days of Mardi Gras with traditional New Orleans style cuisine and cocktails. The festivities begin tonight with music by DC Motors and end with a masquerade ball on Saturday, February 20. There will be a charity bead toss and Mardi Gras Masks available to benefit Multiple Sclerosis.
-King Street Blues will offer “Cajun Specials” all day, including several po’boy varieties, jambalaya pasta and red beans.
-Try one of Trummer’s on Main’s signature cocktails from New Orleans, Brazil and Italy. Don’t forget to wear your masks, costumes or beads for 25 percent off special cocktails, beer and wine.
-Join Okra’s Louisiana Bistro for their annual Mardi Gras pub crawl and Cajun cuisine.
-Liberty Tavern will have $4 Abita Purple Haze and $5 Hurricanes all day long.
- Union Jacks will host a Mardi Gras Bash tonight. Collect the most beads and you can win a trip to the Caribbean. Their Creole menu includes shrimp po’boys, etouffee, and bananas foster. The celebration begins at 4 p.m.
-Learn to make classic New Orleans dishes at Open Kitchen. The menu includes crawfish etouffee and seafood and andouille sausage gumbo. $75; 7-10 p.m.
-On Wednesday, February 17, Chef Roberto Donna will host a six-course ‘Il Carnavale’ Dinner at his private residence. The menu includes stuffed lamb chops with braised chicory and Piemontese style rice fritters in parmesan cheese sauce. $100 per person. Email tambolisa1@aol.com to make a reservation.
-On Saturday, Feb 20 Sunset Hill Vineyards celebrates Mardi Gras with a special Cajun menu and live music by the Yvonne Johnson Jazz Trip from 12-6 p.m. Don’t forget to wear your purple, gold, and green!
-IHOP celebrates National Pancake Day on February 23 this year from 7 a.m.- 10 p.m. Guests will receive a short stack of pancakes for free. While you’re there, help others by donating to the Children’s Miracle Network or other local charities.
Laissez les bons temps rouler!
