DC Restaurant Week Spill-overs

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

Tags: 2941, Bastille, DC Restaurant Week, Harrys Tap Room, Jackson 20, The Grille at Morrison House, Trummer's on Main, Willow Restaurant

Zagat: By the Numbers

The first family of hospitality crowd-sourcing, Nina and Tim Zagat, have released the results of their 2011 Washington D.C./Baltimore survey, an all-too-familiar litany–the Inn at Little Washington continues its decade-long streak of ping-ponging back and forth between the #1 and #2 spots for food; Restaurant Eve remains firmly entrenched in the food top 10–which I highly doubt will surprise any fine dining aficionados or even casual gourmands.

I was, however, interested to see how the D.C./Charm City surveyors stack up against other markets and how often they hit the streets in search of a good meal.

According to Zagat’s, there are roughly 6,500 surveyors actively evaluating 2,400 meals per day across the D.C./Baltimore corridor. While that sounds like a whole lot of eating, our area ranks second-to-last in surveyor meals per week (2.6).

Texans, on the other hand, have gorged themselves into four of the top five spots (Houston – 4 meals per week, Austin/Hill Country – 3.8, Dallas/Forth Worth – 3.6, San Antonio – 3.5).

The economy, of course, is partly to blame.

Approximately 40 percent of local surveyors admitted to eating out less because of forced belt-tightening, while another third of those surveyed copped to more carefully eyeing menu prices when they do step out.

On the upside, over half of the surveyors said lean times have prompted restaurants to beef up their dining deals while approaching 45 percent said the downturn has rekindled a passion for home cooking.

Amateur food sleuths might also be interested to know that Zagat’s stable of local food spies skews female (51 percent) and relies heavily on retirees (60+ year olds comprise 25 percent of their core constituency)–though Gen Xers (30-year olds) and late Boomers (50s and up) account for 23 and 22 percent (respectively) of the roving reporting crew.

Rankings-wise, NoVA restaurants seemed to do pretty well.

We claimed six of the top 20 food slots:

* Inn at Little Washington (2)

* Restaurant Eve (7)

* L’Auberge Provencale (10)

* L’Auberge Chez Francois (15)

* 2941 (16)

* GoolDaeGee (19)

Seven of the top 24 cuisine categories:

* New American: Inn at Little Washington

* Chinese: Peking Gourmet

* Classic French: L’Auberge Provencale

* South American: El Pollo Rico

* Southwest/Tex-Mex: Sweetwater Tavern

* Thai: Thai Square

* Vietnamese: Four Sisters

And scored a handful of entries in the 20 “Key Newcomers” list:

* Maple Ave

* Pizzeria Orso

* Trummer’s on Main

Would love to hear what you all think of the current crop of popularly appointed dining champs AND/OR the Zagat’s scouts among us.

–Warren

Tags: 2011 Zagat survey, 2941, Baltimore, El Pollo Rico, Four Sisters, GoolDaeGee, Gut Check, hospitality, Inn at Little Washington, L'Auberge Chez Francois, L'Auberge Provencale, Maple Ave, Northern Virginia, Northern Virginia Magazine, Peking Gourmet, Pizzeria Orso, Restaurant Eve, restaurants, Sweetwater Tavern, Thai Sqaure, Trummer's on Main, Warren Rojas, Washington D.C.

NoVA Chefs Heed White House’s Call

(Image: James Beard Foundation)

The South Lawn was flooded with a sea of toques this afternoon as chefs from every state descended on the White House to show their solidarity for Michelle Obama’s “Chefs Move to Schools” campaign.

The program aims to enrich school lunch programs by encouraging trained chefs/food service professionals to “adopt” a public learning institution and then work towards improving the quality of meals served to students.

“You can teach kids to cook something that tastes good and is good for them; and share your passion for food in a way that’s truly contagious,” Mrs. Obama told the assembled chefs. She also stressed that participating chefs would hardly be going it alone.

“When you go into the schools … work closely with our food service professionals to support the work that they do every day. They’re looking forward to getting some extra help–they need it–doing everything from teaching basic cooking skills in the cafeteria to encouraging healthy choices in the lunch line. But it’s got to be a collaboration,” Obama counseled.

Early reports from the White House suggest that roughly 1,000 chefs and 500 schools have signed on to the nascent program.

A quick scan of chefs who had signed on to “Chefs Move” through Share Our Strength showed approaching 40 hospitality vets from all around Virginia, including several do-gooders that should be very familiar to our readers:

* Cathal Armstrong/Restaurant Eve

* Will Artley/Evening Star Cafe

* Chris Ford and Clayton Miller/Trummer’s on Main

* Justus Frank and Miles Vaden/Eventide

* David Guas/DamGoodSweet

* Steve Mannino/Rustico

* Dennis Marron/Grille at Morrison House, Jackson 20

* James Watson and Robert Wiedmaier/BRABO

Most of the chefs we spoke to were still in the process of selecting their adoptive school. But all seemed enthused about the possibility of giving back in a whole new way.

–Warren

Tags: BRABO, Cathal Armstrong, Chefs Move to Schools, Chris Ford, Clayton Miller, Dam Good Sweet, david guas, Dennis Marron, Evening Star Cafe, Eventide, Gut Check, hospitality industry, Jackson 20, James Watson, Justus Frank, Let's Move, Michelle Obama, Miles Vaden, Northern Virginia Magazine, Restaurant Eve, restuarants, Robert Wiedmaier, Rustico, school lunch, Steve Mannino, Trummer's on Main, Warren Rojas, White House, Will Artley

F&W Taps Miller, Shields for Best New Chefs 2010

(Image: Melany Bundy Mullens)

Last night, Food& Wine named its Best New Chefs for 2010–a culinary who’s who which includes Trummer’s on Main toque Clayton Miller (above left) and Town House chef John Shields (above right).

Other local BNC alumni include Cathal Armstrong (2006) and Dale Reitzer (1999).

We’ve trumpeted the epicurean daring of Miller and Shields (and the wisdom of their respective restaurants for bringing them aboard) in the pages of our magazine, and are glad to see our national peers honor the exemplary cooking taking place around the Commonwealth.

Congrats chefs! Enjoy your trip to Aspen!

–Warren

Tags: awards, Clayton Miller, Food & Wine, Gut Check, hospitality industry, John Shields, Northern Virginia Magazine, restaurants, Town House, Trummer's on Main, Warren Rojas

James Beard Award Semifinalists Announced

Outstanding Restaurateur

* Ashok Bajaj, 701/Ardeo/Bardeo/Bibiana Osteria-Enoteca/The Bombay Club/The Oval Room/Rasika – D.C.

Outstanding Chef

* Jose Andres, minibar – D.C.

Image: SF Weekly

Outstanding Restaurant

* Vidalia – D.C.

Rising Star Chef of the Year

* Johnny Monis, Komi – D.C.

Best New Restaurant

* Eventide

* J & G Steakhouse – D.C.

* Trummer’s on Main

Outstanding Pastry Chef

* Amanda Cook, CityZen – D.C.

Outstanding Wine Service

* Restaurant Eve

Outstanding Wine and Spirits Professional

Image: Jonathan Timmes

* Derek Brown, The Passenger – D.C.

Outstanding Service

* Marcel’s – D.C.

Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic

* Cathal Armstrong, Restaurant Eve

* Tony Conte, The Oval Room – D.C.

* Melissa Close Hart, Palladio at Barboursville Vineyards

* Peter Pastan, Obelisk -  D.C.

* Dale Reitzer, Acacia

* Vikram Sunderam, Rasika- D.C.

* Bryan Voltaggio, Volt – Md.

The five finalists in each category will be unveiled March 22, with the winners honored at the May 3^rd Beard Foundation awards gala in New York.

–Aisha Salazar

Tags: Aisha Salazar, Cathal Armstrong, chef, Dale Reitzer, DC, Eventide, food, Gut Check, James Beard Award, Maryland, Northern Virginia Magazine, restaurant, Restaurant Eve, semifinalists, Trummer's on Main, Virginia

Let The Good Times Roll

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 2^nd 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!

Tags: 2941 restaurant, Aisha Salazar, Buzz Bakery, Chef Roberto Donna, Clydes, Fat Tuesday, Fish Market, food, Gut Check, IHOP, King Cakes, King Street Blues, Liberty Tavern, Mardi Gras, National Pancake Day, Northern Virginia Magazine, Okra’s Louisiana Bistro, Open Kitchen, restaurant, Sunset Hill Vineyards, Trummer's on Main, Union Jacks

Students and Chefs Make Sweet Pairings at Life Is Sweet 5

Patrick Bazin and his Chef Buddy, Cameron Graham. Image: Amy Loeffler

Student Cameron Graham and Chef Patrick Bazin of Bazin’s on Church are old hats of the Life Is Sweet annual fundraiser for Best Buddies Virginia. They have been a team since the event’s inception five years ago and they embody the mission of the organization founded by Anthony Kennedy Shriver to foster friendships and employment opportunities for intellectually and developmentally disabled individuals. Cameron works the crowd while I pepper Bazin with questions. When I ask to take a photo of the two of them Cameron prompts me to wait and says, “Oh let me take off my glasses,” like a seasoned media pro.  She is clearly in her element flitting from family member to passer-by. “She’s happy,” says Bazin smiling proudly.  “And chefs” says Bazin,”like to make other people happy.” 

According to Bazin the Life Is Sweet event gives students like Cameron a sense of comraderie and boosts self-confidence by allowing them to interact with culinary professionals and the public at large.  This year she and Bazin collaborated, as they do every year, on what to make for the gala one month beforehand. They settled on a pumpkin mousse in a chocolate shell sprinkled with praline topping as a riff on pumpkin cheesecake. In fact collaborating on what they are going to serve is just as much of a ritual as the event itself. “We always discuss what we’re gonna make,” says Bazin. 

Former White House Pastry Chef Roland Mesnier has spearheaded the fundraiser every year for the past five years and proved to be a raucous emcee. At one point he spontaneously put himself on the silent auction block for a lucky bidder to win his culinary expertise (and masseur skills!) for one evening of gastronomically induced revelry. 

 

No need to be sad when the chips are down if life is as sweet as a tray of Chris Ford’s deconstructed chocolate chip cookies. Image: Amy Loeffler

While pastry chefs donate their time, materials and effort for this Who’s Who gathering of area pastry toques,  many chefs at the event on Tuesday voiced that they receive a lot in return for participating. Chris Ford, pastry chef at Trummer’s on Main, recently relocated to the area from New York. He says the event was a good opportunity for him to become familiar with the flour and butter goings on as a relative Northern Virginia newbie. “I meet other pastry chefs and get my name out there,” he says of the event.

Michelle Poteaux of Bastille in Alexandria would agree that the event for her was initially an opportunity to network, but changed once she was paired up with her Chef Buddy, Max Douglas. “Part of [the appeal] of this event for every pastry chef is to promote yourself,” she says. “That soon quickly goes by the wayside once you meet your partner. It’s not just a group, it’s this person Max.”  She explained that she and Max even did an inpromptu T.V. appearance for the event.

Chris Ford of Trummer's on Main and Andrew Roberts.

–Amy Loeffler

Tags: Amy Loeffler, Bastille, Best Buddies Virginia, Chris Ford, Gut Check, Life Is Sweet, Michelle Poteaux, Northern Virginia Magazine, Trummer's on Main

Just a Taste: Trummer’s on Main

(Image: Trummer’s)

Historic Clifton got a little more scenic last month once Trummer’s on Main finally let in all the gawkers (present company included) who’d anxiously watched construction teams touch-up the long-standing structure.

I’m pleased to report: the wait appears to have been worth it.

Co-owners Victoria and Stefan Trummer renovated every inch of the three-story restaurant, beginning with the chic bar (stoney, sleek and very inviting), glass-encased “winter garden,” artsy top floor “gallery” and zen patio (the soundtrack provided by a gurgling fountain and passing trains cuts through the static of everyday life).

Sommelier Tyler Packwood (formerly of the Inn at Little Washington) and Stefan Trummer (NYC cocktail guru) work in concert to sate any liquid wants (sadly, the cocktails have been my least favorite thing–at least, so far).

Solids are handled by chef Clayton Miller, who adeptly folds the gourmet into everyday favorites (roast pork, tangy blue cheese and dulcet blackberries embrace beneath a buttermilk biscuit; brined chicken and mashed peas elevate comfort food several notches).

Meanwhile, a three-course Sunday brunch ($28) went live just a few weeks back.

–Warren

Tags: Clifton, Gut Check, Northern Virginia Magazine, restaurant, Stefan Trummer, Trummer's on Main, Victoria Trummer, Warren Rojas

NoVA Restaurant Scene Explodes this July

Really wishing I’d gone the restful route this past weekend. Because it looks like the hospitality industry is gearing up for a big July.

Trummer’s on Main

Victoria and Stefan Trummer have devoted the last year of their lives to transforming the former Hermitage Inn into their new restaurant, Trummer’s on Main. And we’ll finally get a peek at the fruits of their labor when they formally open their doors on Monday, July 13.

The Trummers have entrusted chef Clayton Miller with helping to realize their epicurean dreams, a responsibility he takes quite seriously. Miller describes views his cooking style as modern American, which means he’s only too happy to draw inspiration from all over the globe in order to weave exotic flavors into local ingredients.

He’s also a fan of carving out separate dining experiences within a single venue, which is why Trummer’s will feature gourmet snacks at the bar (available by request in the main dining room), seasonal a la carte offerings as well as a fluid multicourse tasting menu (3-5 courses or chef’s choice) in the main dining room and a 3-course brunch (coming soon) predicated on fresh pastries, homestyle favorites and snappy petit fours.

“I want the guests to have flexibility,” Miller suggests.

Kora

Though he just shuttered Farrah Olivia a few weeks back, telegenic toque Morou Ouattara is ready to jump right back into action with Kora–a family-friendly Italian project taking over the old Bebo spot. Morou and older brother Amadou (last seen behind the burner’s at Middleburg’s Salvia restaurant) will lead a kitchen dedicated to quick, comfortable eats.

“It’s not going to be too far away from casual Italian,” Morou said, listing homemade pizzas and gourmet paninis as Kora cornerstones.

Morou remains committed to resurrecting Farrah Olivia in the near future (within the next year and a half, anyway), but has not yet fixed on a new location. “Whatever comes at the right time, we’ll take it,” he said of his open-ended real estate shopping philosophy.

Columbia Firehouse

The Neighborhood Restaurant Group is hoping to rekindle interest in the old Bookbinders space by launching their own dual-natured venue, Columbia Firehouse, in the next few weeks. Orlando Hitzig (most recently attached to the now-defunct Mark & Orlando’s near Dupont Circle) is still fine tuning the Columbia Firehouse menu, but estimates it will revolve around “comfort food that you can do at home, but don’t want to.”

The first floor will feature said staples, including: smoked chicken wings with buttermilk-blue cheese dressing, Maryland crab cakes and gourmet burgers. The upstairs–tentatively set to open this August–will follow more of an upscale chophouse format.

“That’s where we will be trying to draw in folks from across the river,” Hitzig estimates.

Maestro 2.0 (?)

I’ve just about given up on this industry parlor game. But if you are still interested in what will become of the once fabled Tysons’ dining palace, the cut-off for all placeholder functions is July 31.

–Warren

Tags: Alexandria, Clayton Miller, Clifton, Columbia Firehouse, dining, food, Gut Check, hospitality, Kora, maestro, McLean, Morou Ouattara, Neighborhood Restaurant Group, Northern Virginia Magazine, Orlando Hitzig, restaurants, Trummer's on Main, Warren Rojas