Housemade Artisinal Food and Local Wine Tasting at Northside Social, Arlington

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, May 25th, 2011

Image: Northside Social

Thursday night in Arlington, the folks at The Liberty Restaurant Group will be putting on an artisanal foods and wine tasting at Northside Social, which will feature a range of house-made cheeses, charcuterie, pickles, mustard and more.

According to Northside Social’s Emer O’Rourke, the event will feature house made goods from all three members of the Liberty Tavern Restaurant Group, which includes Northside Social, Liberty Tavern and Lyon Hall, and will be curated by Liberty Tavern’s Executive Chef Liam LaCivita.

House made meats will include smoked prosciutto and porchetta, and cheeses will include smoked ricotta and goat ricotta. Food that’s bad for your blood pressure, basically. Local wine made by Virginia winemaker Claude Thibaut will also be available. To counteract all of the salted meat and sour flavors, for desert, Pastry chef Rob Valencia will also present his own house-made chocolates.

The event lasts from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. and tickets are still on sale. Prices are $23 for members, and $28 for non-members.

Northside Social

3211 Wilson Blvd, Arlington

703-465-0145

- Kris King

“I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship”

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, June 7th, 2010

The 2010 RAMMYS kicked off with a strong start last night, glammed up for the evening with its Casablanca theme based on their own version of the famous line “We’ll always have…restaurants.”  Northern Virginia made a respectable showing – with 2941 taking the award for Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year and the Pastry Chef of the Year to its Anthony Chavez.  Vermilion claimed the trophy for Best Upscale Casual Restaurant of the Year.

Anthony Chavez of 2941 accepts his award as Pastry Chef of the Year

In the past, the awards ceremony took place during a seated dinner.  But the 2010 RAMMYS is introducing a new format with a theatre-style ceremony followed by buffet-style dinner in the main ballroom.  Chef Liam LaCivita of Liberty Tavern (and nominee as Rising Culinary Star) says yes to the latest changes.  It was quick, he says.   LaCivita is currently busy with the recent opening of Northside Social, a coffee and wine bar in Clarendon.

Theatre style seating for the new RAMMYS format

The table of 2941 also reports glowing praise of the new format.  Executive Chef Bertrand Chemel says the RAMMYS of 2009 had been a disaster as it seemed like people didn’t care.  But he found this year’s set-up to be much more “tasteful.”  (Yes, he did use that exact word, but I don’t think he knew how much his unexpected pun delighted me!)  Chemel says that the new format shows that it is more about the event than the party.

However, Anthony Chittum, Executive Chef of Vermilion might disagree.  He was not a fan of the changes, saying it was too chaotic.  I was surprised when he told me that he had to stand during the ceremony as there were not enough seats.

Miles Vaden, Executive Chef of Eventide, had the same problem.  I’ll attest to that as I was standing on the side of the show right next to him.

I didn’t have the chance to survey every guest, but from the handful of reactions I gleamed, I may have recognized a pattern.  Those nominees left without a chair in the house were less inclined to embrace the new style.

RAMW President Lynne Breaux absolutely loves the theatre-style format and reports a positive consensus.  She concedes that with any new thing, we will have to tweak it to make it better in the coming years.  For RAMMYS 2010, she says people paid attention to what was important.

Scott Drewno, recipient of the Chef of the Year title, especially appreciates not having to worry about going up on stage with spinach in his teeth.

Anthony Chittum and his girlfriend, Dominique

In other exciting news, Anthony Chittum tells me he is headed to Crete for some culinary research.  I hope we get to see some of that Greek influence in their next Outstanding in the Field dinner, an evening of al fresco dining set for September 12^th. (Opa!) In the meantime, Chittum and his girlfriend, Dominique recommend we try Duangrat’s Thai Restaurant in Falls Church, a traditional family restaurant which they say is not recognized enough.

- photos and story by Jamel Daugherty

Just A Taste: Northside Social

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, April 14th, 2010

Mind you, they’ve only been baking and a-brewing for about a week.

But Northside Social founder Stephen Fedorchak insists management sees plenty of room for improvement.

“We’re our own toughest critics,” Fedorchak said of the auto-scrutiny and fine-tuning NS staff are applying to the combo coffee shop/artisan bakery/wine bar. He noted that the public response has been very encouraging.

“People are hanging out outside. There are dogs, kids and neighbors … which is exactly what we wanted,” Fedorchak said.

The completely remodeled space bares little resemblance to its more bohemian predecessor, Murky Coffee.

Northside boasts four, inviting seating environments: a sun-splashed, streetside patio, the mixed-use main dining room (retail shelves tempt line standers with gourmet blends of Counter Culture coffee and fresh-baked artisan breads; refurbished chairs and galvanized buckets recast as light fixtures offer guests reclamation-inspired comfort), a cozy, library-style rear lounge (complete with communal bookshelf; pictured at right) and the farmer’s table-style wine bar located upstairs (antique backgammon table is pretty cool, too).

The wine bar remains very much a work in progress, according to Fedorchak. He said the plan is to open it up every night (except Sunday) from 4 p.m. till … well, till the crowds clear out–which will most likely be on the earlier side at the beginning of the week and much later from Humpday on (currently open past midnight from Wednesday – Saturday).

Meanwhile, general manager/sommelier Alison Christ has pieced together a very approachable craft beer and boutique wine program with an eye on value and variety (though, sadly, no Virginia wines).

Pastry chef Rob Valencia knows from moist cakes, whipping up a rotating roster of signature coffee cakes (vanilla painted with a lip-smacking lemon glaze comes to mind), cookies and brownies whose fans will, no doubt, be legion.

I fear that savory options, on the other hand, may be limited by the truncated kitchen set-up (only heating elements I spotted were a pair of panini presses). That said, a pork belly–advertised as “crispy;” turned out more brisket tender (an unintended win in my book)–and broccoli rabe pairing proved so scrumptious, I was soon left with a lap full of ciabatta crumbs and a gnawing desire to scoop up an encore serving for the road.

With Northside (finally) up and running, Fedorchak has now turned his attention to breaking the seal on companion project, Lyon Hall.

“We’ll open Lyon Hall this week,” Fedorchak pledged, touting a Thursday debut–while reserving the right to back things up till Saturday–as go-time for the highly anticipated brasserie.

–Warren

NoVA Well Represented in 2010 RAMMY Race

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010

(Image: RAMW)

Restaurant awards season is now officially underway, with the James Beard Foundation unveiling its 2010 finalists yesterday and the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington shining a light on the D.C.-Metro area’s culinary superstars today.

Though they are two very different competitions, there are at least one pair of hometown hopefuls in the running for both the national Beard Awards and local honors: restaurateur Jose Andres–whose minibar has him in contention for a Fine Dining RAMMY and Beard’s Outstanding Chef award–and CityZen pastry chef Amanda Cook (nominated for her delectable sweets by both hospitality scrutinizing bodies).

Meanwhile, Northern Virginia restaurants figure prominently in nine of the 14 RAMMY categories, including:

* Fine Dining: 2941

*Upscale Casual: Liberty Tavern, Vermilion

* Neighborhood Gathering Place: EatBar

* New Restaurant: Eventide, Inox

* Chef: Bertrand Chemel/2941

* Rising Culinary Star: Liam LaCivita/Liberty Tavern, Shannon Overmiller/The Majestic, Jon Mathieson/Inox

* Pastry Chef: Anthony Chavez/2941, Josh Short/Buzz (Neighborhood Restaurant Group)

* Wine Program: 2941

* Beverage/Mixology Program: EatGoodFood Group (AKA Todd Thrasher of Restaurant Eve/PX/The Majestic fame)

You can browse the full list of 2010 RAMMY nominees here. The winners will be feted June 6th during an awards gala at the Marriott Wardman Park.

Northern Virginia Magazine would like to congratulate all the nominees–yes, even you D.C. restos–and wish you all the best of luck on awards night!

–Warren

Northside Social, Lyon Hall Coming to Clarendon

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, November 13th, 2009

With their flagship now firmly anchored in the Clarendon dining scene, Liberty Tavern owner Stephen Fedorchak and his hospitality crew stand poised to unveil their latest historical property repurposings:

* Northside Social, a bakery/lounge erected from the ashes of the now-defunct Murky Coffee, and;

* Lyon Hall, a “casual neighborhood brasserie” moving into the former home of Dan Kain trophies.

Northside Social will be managed by Willow‘s one-time sommelier Alison Christ, while ex-Murky Coffee general manager Marianne Tolosa will step in as director of coffee (look for Counter Culture java and dairy goods from Trickling Springs Creamery). Baker G. David King is expected to trot out around a half dozen bread varieties per day.

Liberty Tavern executive chef Liam LaCivita will oversee both the Northside and Lyon Hill kitchens–though the search is on to lock in a full-time sous chef for Lyon Hall.

Northside Social is expected to feature “work-friendly farm tables” as well couches and love seats for maximum lounging, while second story guests will now enjoy an aerial view of the ground floor. The from dawn-to-dusk venue is also expected to field various alternatives to your morning joe (think: fully developed wine and beer program) as well as live music.

Northside’s menu will turn on breakfast, lunch and other lite-fare, and is tentatively set to include: Polyface Farm egg sandwiches, homemade granola and yogurt, chicken liver rillettes and apple pie topped with Fiscalini cheddar (FINALLY!).

Northside is currently projected to open right around Christmas.

Lyon Hall appears to be more of a bistro/bar project, uniting nearly two dozen craft beers–gourmet suds junkies can expect 20 draft lines–with Eastern European cuisine, including: Alsatian tarts, hanger steak and frites, skate schnitzel, roast chicken and a Bohemian sausage platter (stocked with homemade jagdwurst, bratwurst and kielbasa).

The three-story establishment will also feature an open kitchen (basement), 18-seat marble bar, outdoor patio, semi-private dining in the “Trophy Room” and reclaimed New York City subway light fixtures throughout.

Lyon Hall is expected to debut early February 2010.

Northside Social – 3211 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner daily, late-night dining, Thursday through Saturday.

Lyon Hall – 3100 Washington Blvd., Arlington. Open for dinner, Tuesday through Saturday.

–Warren

NoVA Restaurants Score Big at 2009 RAMMYS

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Sunday, June 7th, 2009

(Image: Michael Birchenall)

A cadre of stellar local toques and restaurants (many of whom we’ve crowed about in the magazine) did NoVA proud at the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington’s 2009 RAMMY awards.

Top honors takers from here in the Old Dominion included:

* Restaurant Eve (Fine Dining Restaurant of the Year)

* The Liberty Tavern (Neighborhood Gathering Place)

* Anthony Chittum (Rising Culinary Star of the Year), and,

* Kate Jansen (Pastry Chef of the Year)

Congratulations to all the 2009 nominees and, of course, to the aforementioned award winners. Peruse the full list of 2009 RAMMY contenders  here.

–Warren

What Woman Most Informed Your Cooking Outlook?

Posted by The Editorial Desk / Friday, March 27th, 2009

The Women’s Show is coming to town next weekend, and we’ve got a bunch of tickets to give away (corporate sponsorship has its privileges).

A quick scan of the chefs participating in the Cooking Stage–an interactive showcase tapping the talents of local toques like Liam LaCivita of The Liberty Tavern, Aaron McCloud of Vintage 50, Chris Clime of PassionFish, Carmen Piazza of Extra Virgin and Alison Swope of M&S Grill–obliterates the outdated stereotype of cooking being strictly women’s work.

But it did get us thinking about the lovely ladies that helped shape our own culinary worldview.

The question is: what iconic female would be at the top of your list?

Alice Waters?

(Photo: Evan Sung)

Julia Child?

(Photo: Arnold Newman)

Aunt Jemima?

(Image: FDA)

Your gray-haired granny?

(Did anyone actually expect to see their sweet, grinning meemaw in this spot? That would’ve been WAY creepy.)

So, let us in on what lady helped bring the kitchen alive in your life in the comments below, and we will see about getting you into the Women’s Show free of charge.

But don’t just spit out a name and some ho-hum praise.

We want details: lovingly prepared birthday meals you’ll never forget, bizarro baking catastrophes that have become the stuff of family lore, invaluable cooking tips that have saved countless meals/your marriage from utter ruin. Well, you get the idea.

We’ll reward the 10 most interesting responses (be they heartfelt, hilarious or horrific) with a pair of passes to the upcoming show.

But you’ve got to reply by noon on Tuesday, March 31 to qualify.

–Warren Rojas