Red Meat: Alex Reyes

Posted by Warren Rojas / Tuesday, May 31st, 2011

Where there’s smoke there’s … barbecue? Chef Alex Reyes certainly hopes so:

(Image: Stacey Viera)

The Spanish toque has been working his magic behind the scenes of the Harry’s chainlet for some time now. He recently accepted a new challenge in launching Harry’s Smokehouse, a casual concept accentuating the pleasures of slow-smoked, expertly grilled proteins and other summer favorites.

WR: Salt. Pepper. What other spices/herbs could you not live without?

AR: Pimenton (Spanish paprika), saffron, chili flakes, cardamom, thyme, parsley, basil and bay leaves.

WR: What’s the very first dish you ever mastered? How long did it take? Do you still make it today?

AR: My grandma’s Spanish tortilla! It took me a while but I did. I still make it for my family when I go to the farmer’s market to get some local eggs and spuds!

WR: What seasonal ingredient(s) get your creative juices flowing?

AR: Rhubarb in the spring, tomatoes and corn in the summer, celeriac in the fall and squashes in the winter.

WR: My latest cookbook obsession is …

AR: Ferran Adria’s “Modern Gastronomy” and also his [AUTHOR IS ACTUALLY LISA ABEND] new book “The Sorcerer’s Apprentices“. The book reveals secrets and stories inside Adria’s restaurant “El Bulli” and also narrates about the training of the apprentices of one of the world’s top restaurants.

WR: What’s the most challenging dish you’ve ever attempted? Would you make it again?

AR: Traditional American BBQ. It is not just about smoking meats … it’s an art! I still have a lot to master but I’m having so much fun in the process.

WR: If I could the spend the day working alongside any local chef, I’d love to collaborate with …

AR: Jose Andrés. He is great chef and talented restaurateur.

WR: What’s the easiest/quickest–but still wholly satisfying–meal you make for yourself?

AR: Pan con tomate y jamon Serrano (Bread with tomato and Serrano ham) this is an ideal snack anytime of the day!! You simply toast or grill the bread (baguette) then smear it with ripe tomatoes and drizzle the bread with Spanish extra-virgin olive oil (I prefer sol de la Mancha) and little sprinkle of fleur de sel. Top it with the Serrano ham and enjoy!

WR: In the next six months you won’t want to miss my …

AR: Harry’s restaurant group new concepts/restaurants!!

WR: It’s quitting time. I’m pouring myself …

AR: A glass of a Spaniard [sic] wine.
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Chef, we, too, continue working on our signature barbecuing techniques. Enjoy the journey.

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

Harry’s Smokehouse

Posted by ryan / Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011

The Harry’s Tap Room within the friendly confines of the Pentagon City Mall no longer exists. Henceforth, it should be referred to as Harry’s Smokehouse.  The emphasis on great service, quality, value and consistency continues however.

Specialties include succulent burgers, palatable barbeque, and craft beer. All ingredients are guaranteed to be local and organic.

Executive Chef Alex Reyes hickory smokes all of their naturally-raised meat on the premises. You now have the option of ordering the likes of spare ribs, pork butt, pork sausage, whole chickens, salmon, catfish and beef brisket. All of which can be purchased a la carte or as a meal. You might like a side of baked beans, broccoli, coleslaw, country greens, french fries, macaroni and cheese, or sweet potato wedges to complete your entree.

As for the reason for the sudden change, I think co-owner Michael Sternberg explains it best.

“We are raising the bar of iconic American food,” he said. “Whenever we put burgers or barbeque on the Tap Room menu, they became an instant hit. So we challenged Chef Reyes to create a menu based on a simple premise…really good burgers, barbeque, fried chicken and addicting sides. He has, and now we are opening a place dedicated to it.”

Makes perfect sense to me!

-Ryan Robertson

Harry’s Smokehouse

1100 South Hayes Street,
Arlington, VA 22202‎
(703)-416-7070

DC Restaurant Week Spill-overs

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, August 16th, 2010

Welcome to DC Restaurant Week!  For those new to the occasion (like me!), this means guests have the opportunity to taste a multi-course menu from participating restaurants for a discount price – usually $20.10 for lunch or $35.10 for dinner.  Let the feasting begin!  As for me, I’ll be highlighting the specials in NoVa.

1. The Grille at Morrison House
2. 703-838-8000
3. 116 S. Alfred Street, Alexandria

Come for dinner with a tasting menu to feature all the house favorites: heirloom tomato gazpacho, salade du Marché, braised Kurobuta pork cheek, braised boneless beef short rib, braised veal breast, mussel frites, and for dessert a warm peach cake or milk chocolate pot de crème.

1. Jackson 20
2. 703-842-2790
3. 480 King Street, Alexandria

Chef Marron has prepared a menu for lunch and dinner with multiple savory and sweet options: barbecued pork ribs, Trout Marguery (grilled and served with shrimp and lemon oyster sauce), and including the whole-shebang of a dessert list – pineapple upside-down cake, a peach turnover with sweetened crème fraiche and blueberry compote – just to name a few.

1. Trummer’s on Main
2. 703-266-1623
3. 7134 Main Street, in historic Clifton

Trummer’s will be making its debut to RW week with a three course dinner menu offering options of Goat Cheese Agnolotti (pickled rhubarb, black pepper shortbread, fried capers), Chilled Mulligatawny Soup (laughing bird shrimp, yuzu sorbet, apple crisp), North Carolina Tilefish, Grilled Lamb Brisket, Berry Cobbler (brown sugar streusel, vanilla sherbet, basil meringue), The Chocolate Cake and more.

1. 2941 Restaurant
2. 703-270-1500
3. 2941 Fairview Park Drive, Falls Church

Participating with its three course lunch menu of Red Beet Salad, Beef Teres Major and Hazelnut Paris-Brest.

1. Bastille Restaurant
2. 703-519-3776
3. 1201 N. Royal Street, Alexandria

With this dinner menu, you can also add a cheese course for an additional $9 or indulge with wines paired especially for each course ($25 pp).  The three course meal provides a variety of choices including a beignet of oysters, Bastille Caesar salad (with romaine and radicchio sprinkled with Parmesan and white anchovy Panacotta), pan-roasted skate filet, roasted Pennsylvania leg of lamb and Merguez sausage, roasted corn risotto and more.  Then for dessert, delight in the raspberry crème brûlée, the Valrhona chocolate cake, orange cardamom flan – just to name a few.  

1. Harry’s Tap Room in Clarendon
2. 703-778-7788
3. 2800 Clarendon Blvd, Arlington

Offering a menu for both lunch and dinner with multiple options like Baked Brie or Lemongrass Chicken Bon bons; Grilled Hangar Steak, Chicken Pesto Panini (lunch) or Horseradish North Pacific Salmon (dinner); Raspberry Sorbet, Chocolate Chip Bread Pudding, and more.

1. Willow Restaurant
2. 703-465-8800
3. 4301 N. Fairfax Drive, Arlington
4. Participating for lunch and dinner with a three course menu to sample Cucumber and Avocado Gazpacho, Liberty Town Flat Bread, or Crispy-Fried Soft Shell Crab(dinner); Parmesan crusted Swordfish Medallions (lunch), Bacon-wrapped Monkfish filet (dinner) or Ratatouille and Ricotta Stuffed Squash Blossoms; Passionfruit Meringue Tart or a Flourless Chocolate Torte and much more.

I’m hungry now – actually I’m borderline ravenous and it isn’t even noon yet.  

(Photo: I Know U Can)

For a full listing, or if you care to go the extra mile into DC for your discount bites, check the official DC Restaurant Week Page.

-Jamel Daugherty

Benefits For Your Belly

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, May 11th, 2010

Prepare your taste buds for several fundraisers to benefit five local charities.

Shula’s 48-Ounce Challenge will take place on Thursday, May 13^th at 6:30pm to raise money for the Children’s Miracle Network.  Local celebrity contestants Corey Raymer, DC 101’s Flounder, The Redskins’ Fred Davis, and Mike “Mouth” Moss will compete at Shula’s Steak House at Tyson’s Corner Marriott.  The event is free to the public.

Image: DC 101

The DC 101 Chili Cook-Off , which benefits the National Kidney Foundation, takes place on Saturday, May 22; 11a.m.-8p.m at RFK Stadium in DC.  The event is an International Chili Society (ICS)-sanctioned event, which requires participants to prepare their chili on-site under certain restrictions.  Contestants will compete in 7 categories:

1. 1-3. ICS Competition: Red chili, Chili Verde, and Salsa
2. 4. Freestyle competition (no restrictions on ingredients, preparation time, or texture)
3. 5. People’s Choice (“throw down” chili)
4. 6. Showmanship (best all-around presentation)
5. 7. Rookie of the Year.

Several bands (Stone Tempe Pilots, Alice in Chains) will be performing during the event.  Tickets are $35 in advance, $55 day of the show.  Last year the event raised over 1.5 million dollars to support the NKF.

The Chicks with Chips Ladies Poker Tournament returns for its second year on May 23^rd at 4p.m.  The charitable women’s poker tournament will be held at Whitlow’s on Wilson to benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  A quick rules tutorial will be provided and cards will be dealt by Chippendales-outfitted University of Maryland students.  Ladies will have the chance to win several prizes and enjoy food and drinks.  All participants will receive swag bags as well. Tickets are $60 per player. 

Sound Bites, an event featuring local musicians and chefs, will benefit the DC Central Kitchen on May 23^rd at the 9:30 Club.  18 DC and Virginia caterers and restaurants, including EatBar and Harry’s Tap Room, will participate in the first event to be held in the 9:30 Club’s outdoor space.  Seth Hurwitz, the owner of 9:30 Club, has been a long-time friend of DC Central Kitchen.  Sound Bites resulted after the two organizations put their heads together.  Restaurant tastings will begin outside at 5p.m. and the bands will kick off indoors at 6p.m.  Local acts include DJ Will Eastman, US Royalty, Bluebrain, Fatback DJs, Midnight Kids, and Beautiful Swimmers.  The event costs $30.

Image: DC Central Kitchen, 9:30 Club

3 Bar & Grill will host a Charitable Pig Roast on Sunday, May 30 beginning at 4p.m. to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.  The 250 pound pig will be provided by Virginia’s Eco-Friendly Foods and drink specials will be available from 4-9p.m.  Specials include $2 Miller Lite, $3 Bell’s Oberon Ale, and $5 Bacon Bloody Marys.  Smoky pulled pork sandwiches will be available for suggested donations of $5.

Image: Brainfood

The Fourth Annual Brainfood Grill-Off benefits DC high school youths by providing them a fun and creative environment to develop new skills and learn about food, nutrition, cooking, and the restaurant industry.  Teams consisting of five adults, a Brainfood graduate, and celebrated chefs (such as Daniel Giusti of 1789 and Shannon Overmiller of The Majestic) will receive a surprise pantry of ingredients and have one hour to create their masterpiece.  Local chefs, food writers and personalities, restaurant owners, and Brainfood students will judge the competition.  The Brainfood Grill-Off will be held on Thursday, June 10^th; 6:30-9:30p.m. at Decatur House in DC. Tickets are $75 and include food and open bar.

–Aisha Salazar