metrocurean

Five Bites On Friday

2008-07-18T08:00:00.001-04:00

Metrocurean reader Magda Nakassis offers a list of her go-to budget bites.

1. Spinach burrito with everything at Burritos Fast

2. Green tea mochi at Sushi Sushi

3. Thai steak and noodle salad at Woodmont Grill

4. Beef hot pot (complete with sauce fixins bar) at Bob's 88 Shabu Shabu

5. Gin and tonic at Dupont's Fox & Hounds

Five Bites is a weekly opportunity for Metrocurean readers to share the dishes and drinks they're enjoying around town. E-mail five of your favorites and whether you'd like your name and a picture included to metrocurean AT gmail DOT com.

Rumor Mill: Burgers By Michel Richard?

2008-07-16T20:50:00.003-04:00

The GOG Blog says Michel Richard may be the next to enter DC's burger joint bonanza.

Meantime, anyone care to throw a guess into the ring as to the next celebrity chef to put his name on a downtown restaurant?

New Redwood Chef Brings West Coast Cred

2008-07-16T13:26:00.000-04:00

Redwood, the third restaurant from Eli Hengst and Jared Rager, is expected to open next week (possibly Monday) in Bethesda. Leading the kitchen will be Andrew Kitko, who's bringing a résumé packed with West Coast hot spots boasting Michelin cred.

During nine total years in San Francisco, the Connecticut native cooked at Restaurant Gary Danko (one Michelin star), Bar Tartine, where he was awarded two and a half stars from the San Francisco Chronicle, and Aqua (two Michelin stars), where he was sous chef. He also served as executive chef at the now-closed Palmetto.

Kitko also spent two years at Manhattan's Café Boulud (one Michelin star).

Like its siblings Sonoma and Mendocino Grille, Redwood will focus on seasonal American food prepared with sustainable and artisanal ingredients.

Check out Washingtonian's preview of Redwood (7121 Bethesda Lane) for photos and menus.

Openings: Spider Kelly's, Langston, Nando's

2008-07-15T18:32:00.002-04:00

Check out the latest additions to Metrocurean's New Openings list, including Nando's Peri-Peri (819 Seventh St. NW), quite possibly the most attractive fast food chain I've seen, pictured at right; Southern comfort food haven Langston Bar and Grill (1831 Benning Rd. NE); and casual bar and restaurant Spider Kelly's (3181 Wilson Blvd., Arlington).

DC's second Nando's Peri-Peri is planned for 1210 18th St. NW.

Any Restaurants Doing Grilled Pizza?

2008-07-14T13:26:00.001-04:00

Grilled pizzas have been popping up a lot of places, my grill included. (And no, the dough does not melt through the grates.) Which got me wondering if any DC-area restaurants are tossing pies on their grills?

DC's pizza renaissance has brought us plenty of delicious options — Comet, RedRocks and Pete's have joined standbys Pizzeria Paradiso, 2 Amys, Matchbox and Coppi's — but I can't think of a single one offering a grilled option.

Al Forno of Providence, Rhode Island, is credited with introducing grilled pies to the US, and it caught on in New York. This spring, Chicago chef Craig Priebe released an entire cookbook on the dish. His Gamberian pie is pictured at right.

Seen grilled pizza on any local menus?

Metrocurean Dishes On XM's Broadminded

2008-07-11T17:04:00.004-04:00

A huge thanks to XM Satellite Radio "broads" Molly and Christine for having me on their show Broadminded on Thursday.

Metrocurean joined "wine broad" Andrew Stover, of Chief Wino and and Oya Restaurant, to dish about trends in food and wine.

Listen in here:

Five Bites On Friday

2008-07-11T11:22:00.000-04:00

Today's five bites come out of Howard County from the author of the blog HowChow. If you need dining recommendations in that area, HowChow is a great resource. Check out the blog's handy Google map of Howard County restaurants and markets. Now, on to the bites...

1. The "Pretty In Red" roll (crab and spicy tuna) at Sushi King (HowChow write-up)

2. Sopapias after a tapas dinner at Ranazul, pictured at right (HowChow's take)

3. The "French" coffee with condensed milk at An Loi Pho

4. The pumpkin appetizer, tender pumpkin dressed with yogurt and spiced, ground beef, at Maiwand Kabob (HowChow's take)

5. Fresh corn tortillas — less than $2 for 30 — made at Lily's Mexican Market

Five Bites is a weekly opportunity for Metrocurean readers to share the dishes and drinks they're enjoying around town. E-mail five of your favorites and whether you'd like your name and a picture included to metrocurean AT gmail DOT com.

(Photo from ranazul.us.)

Matchbox Does Brunch

2008-07-10T12:28:00.002-04:00

Matchbox, Penn Quarter's pizza hot spot, recently added brunch to its repertoire on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. And though I'll always be a mini burger addict, my new favorite Matchbox dishes are delivered in cast iron skillets.

Super soft cinnamon rolls (pictured above), a delicious chorizo and manchego egg tortilla, steak and eggs and a few other hearty brunch items are served in small skillets. Check out the whole brunch menu here. And don't miss the bloody marys.

The restaurant has also started making desserts in-house, including a decadent chocolate chip bread pudding, an ice cream sandwich filled with coffee gelato, and sugar-dusted doughnuts. "The puzzle is complete," co-owner Andrew Kim said of the new menu additions.

In other news, construction is under way at the Capitol Hill outpost of Matchbox. A fall opening is possible, though the only prediction I could get out of Kim was "2008." Stay tuned.

Corduroy Happy Hour Starts Today

2008-07-09T14:00:00.000-04:00

The newly relocated Corduroy is introducing a new wine and cheese happy hour today from 5-7 p.m. Wines by the glass are $6, and a cheese plate featuring five selections is priced at $7.

Happy hour is every weekday, 5-7 p.m.

Tryst/Diner Hybrid Planned For 14th and T

2008-07-08T16:41:00.006-04:00

The Washington City Paper's City Desk has the scoop on some exciting plans for the vacant building on the southwest corner of 14th and T streets NW, pictured above.

The owner of The Diner, Tryst and Open City, Constantine Stavropoulos, hopes to get approval for a new ground floor coffeehouse-diner-bar. City Paper says it'll be a little Tryst-y and a little Diner-y.

Read more.

(Metrocurean photo.)

DC Chef Throws Down With Bobby Flay

2008-07-07T12:53:00.001-04:00

Chef Teddy Folkman (pictured above) of Granville Moore’s will be featured on the Food Network’s Throwdown! with Bobby Flay tomorrow, July 8, at 9 p.m.

The show, in which Flay ambushes unsuspecting cooks and challenges them to a recipe face-off, was taped back in March at the nearby Argonaut. Endless Simmer and Frozen Tropics were on hand to capture it for the blogosphere.

"Being selected by the Food Network to work with them is an amazing honor. But to represent ‘Moules and Frites’ in a city with so many great Belgian restaurants and big name chefs as Washington, DC, that was the greatest honor,” Folkman said in a release.

The chef cooked his signature blue cheese, bacon, spinach and shallot mussels (at right) with herbed twice-cooked Belgian frites, accompanied by a yellow tomato and black truffle aioli for dipping. Flay’s mussels were served in a broth featuring coconut milk, roasted green chilies and butter with frites accompanied by — shocking to us all — a roasted poblano dipping sauce.

Judges for the throwdown were the husband-and-wife blogging team of Jason Storch (D.C. Foodies) and Amy Storch (amalah). Find out whose mussels reigned supreme tomorrow night when Granville Moore’s will host a live viewing party.

Click here for Folkman's mussels recipe.

Metrocurean Turns 3

2008-07-06T10:28:00.004-04:00

Metrocurean turned a whopping 3-years-old this weekend.

Thanks for all your comments and tips this past year, and most of all, thanks for reading.

Five Bites On Friday

2008-07-04T11:26:00.004-04:00

Today's holiday edition of Five Bites is from Kevin Baker, author of The Beckley Kid. He recently moved away from DC and thought there was no better way to say farewell than with a five bites list.

1. Soupe a l'oignon at Café du Parc

2. "Buffalo" crispy fried oysters from DC Coast

3. Ahi tuna tartare at Proof (pictured)

4. Pucillo pizza with prosciutto, arugula, tomato and smoked mozzarella at Ella's Wood Fired Pizza

5. Bittersweet chocolate torte with salted cashews, caramel ice cream and a smear of caramel at Hook and a Cuban coffee from Ceiba

Five Bites is a weekly opportunity for Metrocurean readers to share the dishes and drinks they're enjoying around town. E-mail five of your favorites and whether you'd like your name and a picture included to metrocurean AT gmail DOT com.

(Photo by Darko Zagar.)

Openings: Ray's Hell Burger, Wagamama, More

2008-07-01T22:00:00.003-04:00

To soothe all the bad news about restaurants dropping like flies, I offer some better and meatier news on the DC dining scene.

First, burgers. Michael Landrum caused a virtual (and literal) stampede on donrockwell.com today when he announced the opening of Ray's Hell-Burger, aka Ray's Butcher Burgers. The burger shop is located in the same strip mall as Ray's The Steaks at 1713 Wilson Blvd.

Speaking of burgers, Capitol Hill's Good Stuff Eatery will officially open July 7. Snide commenters across the internets are already hating on the place and on co-owner and Top Chef contestant Spike Mendelsohn, but for heaven's sake, let the place open already. The menu looks damn good. And the proof is in the pudding ... or the toasted marshmallow shake, in this case.

On to noodles ... the word on the street is that Wagamama, which previously announced plans to come to DC, will move into the recently shuttered Olsson's bookstore in Penn Quarter at 418 Seventh St. NW.

Up Seventh Street, the first US location of Nando's Peri-Peri should open in July. The international chain specializes in flame-grilled chicken spiced with the peri peri chile pepper. The DC outpost is located at 819 Seventh St. NW.

Meanwhile, check out the new additions to Metrocurean's coming soon list, including Bryan Voltaggio's Volt and Art Smith's Art and Soul.

(Metrocurean photo, not from aforementioned burger joints.)

Three New Markets Launch In Virginia

2008-07-01T17:15:00.005-04:00

Residents of Fairfax, Reston and Oakton have new options for finding local foods. A new nonprofit, Smart Markets, recently introduced three new farmers markets to the region.

The markets are guaranteed producer-only, meaning all the vendors made or grew what they're selling.

Here's the schedule:

• Smart Markets at Fair Lakes Whole Foods
4501 Market Commons Dr., Fairfax
Wednesdays, 3:30-7 p.m. through Nov. 19

• Smart Markets at Reston Town Center
In the Town Square
Thursdays, 3:30-7 p.m. through Nov. 20

• Smart Markets at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Fairfax
2709 Hunter Mill Rd., Oakton
Saturdays, 8 a.m.-noon through Nov. 22

Been to one of the markets? Let us know what you found.

And Another One Gone

2008-06-30T12:01:00.004-04:00

Butterfield 9 is closing. DonRockwell.com broke the news of the eight-year-old restaurant's demise, and Todd Kliman of Washingtonian fills in more details.

That brings the past week's toll to three announced closings: Restaurant K, Colorado Kitchen and now Butterfield 9. And I don't think that's the last we'll hear in the next few weeks ...

Rammy Winners Announced

2008-06-30T11:45:00.000-04:00

The winners of the Restaurant Association Metropolitan Washington's annual awards were announced last night in the packed ballroom of the Wardman Park Marriott.

A panel of judges chose the following winners ...
• New Restaurant: The Source by Wolfgang Puck
• Fine Dining Restaurant: Equinox
• Upscale Casual Restaurant: Poste Moderne Brasserie
• Chef of the Year: Eric Ziebold of CityZen
• Rising Culinary Star: Barton Seaver, formerly of Hook
• Pastry Chef: Heather Chittum of Hook
• Wine and Beverage Program: Passion Food
• Restaurant Employee: Joel Guagliano, Zaytinya
• Restaurant Manager: Molly McWhorter, Chef Geoff’s Downtown

The public chose these winners ...
• Hottest Bar Scene: Central
• Power Spot: Oceanaire
• Neighborhood Gathering Place: Hank's Oyster Bar, DC
• Voters' Choice Restaurant of the Year: The Monocle

RAMW named Phyllis Richman, former food critic of The Washington Post, the recipient of the Duke Zeibert Capital Achievement Award, and she entertained the crowd with stories of how difficult it was to break into the food industry as a woman in the 1970s.

Ben’s Chili Bowl received an honorary RAMMY for its longevity, history and cultural significance to Washington. Jaleo received the Where Magazine Visitors’ Choice Award.

In a touching tribute to the late Joan Hisaoka, who was the gala’s PR chair since 2003, the Associate Member of the Year award was re-named the Joan Hisaoka Associate Member of the Year. Foodservice Monthly received the award.

Palette Chef Returns From Iraq

2008-06-28T12:16:00.002-04:00

Last April, Metrocurean told you about Palette chef Arnel Esposo being called up for service in Iraq. I'm pleased to report that he's home and got back into the kitchen June 9.

The chef, pictured above in an Iraq village, was a big hit with local kids thanks to the candy and chips he'd bring along. In his absence, the children would chant "we want the chef," according to a rep for the restaurant. Note that his name tag reads "chef."

During the year of service, Esposo's Maryland National Guard unit enjoyed an abundance of Old Bay seasoning, thanks to a care package they received from the company. Esposo said it's good in moderation on potato chips, rice and soup.

The chef may create a tastier version of MREs (meals, ready-to-eat) for Palette's bar menu later this summer. Stay tuned.

Five Bites On Friday

2008-06-27T10:26:00.000-04:00

Today's five bites are from Clay and Zach, authors of the fun blog The Bitten Word, where they chronicle their efforts to put food magazine subscriptions to good use by cooking at least one recipe from each — like this delicious looking grilled pizza.

1. Crispy spring rolls at Nam Viet

2. Cayenne and espresso steak salad at Paolo's

3. Corn fritters at Duplex Diner

4. Miniburgers at Matchbox

5. Charbroiled oysters at Acadiana

Five Bites is a weekly opportunity for Metrocurean readers to share the dishes and drinks they're enjoying around town. E-mail five of your favorites and whether you'd like your name and a picture included to metrocurean AT gmail DOT com.

Stars And Stripes In Chocolate

2008-06-26T14:00:00.001-04:00

Chocolaterie Wanders has created this nifty box of chocolates to celebrate July 4th.

The flag is formed by 12 dark chocolate ganache squares with hints of American whiskey and butter, covered in 70 percent dark chocolate.

Chocolaterie Wanders will donate 15 percent of all sales of the Liberty Squares collection to the Pentagon Memorial Fund. Find them online, at Periwinkle in DC and at Cork and Fork in Gainsville, Va.

Colorado Kitchen Closing

2008-06-26T10:33:00.002-04:00

When someone posted a link to an auction for Colorado Kitchen's goods on Chowhound Tuesday, it didn't bode well for the restaurant.

Washingtonian's Todd Kliman continued the breaking news flurry Wednesday with confirmation from Colorado Kitchen chef/owner Gillian Clark that the restaurant's days are numbered. (DonRockwell.com says June 29 is the final service.)

The restaurant's current building is reportedly slated for demolition.

That makes two restaurants down and one chef out so far this week. Here's hoping for better news next week.

Update: For more detail's on Clark's future restaurant plans, check out this Washington Post piece.

Barton Seaver Splits With Hook, Kliman Reports

2008-06-25T12:06:00.005-04:00

The plot thickens in the chef vs. owner drama at Tackle Box and Hook. Washingtonian's Todd Kliman is reporting that Barton Seaver is no longer the chef at Hook.

Molto Gelato

2008-06-25T11:46:00.000-04:00

The fro-yo wars may be upon us, but good ol' artisanal gelato is not going to take this lying down.

The brand new Bethesda Row outpost of Dolcezza is up and running, and (free food alert!) on Thursday June 26, from 6 to 11 p.m., they're celebrating their grand opening by giving away some 300 gallons of their delicious farm-fresh product (pictured).

Also entering the frozen treats fray in DC will be Pitango Gelato, according to the Washington Business Journal. Joining the Baltimore original will be two planned locations: a 500-square-foot shop in the Metropole condo building at the corner of 15th and P streets NW and one at Reston Town Center. Like Dolcezza, Pitango relies on local farms for many of its ingredients.

And finally, Boccato Gelatos opened recently in Arlington. The lucuma flavor sounds very intriguing. Tried it?

(Photo from dolcezzagelato.com.)

Restaurant K Closes Its Doors

2008-06-23T16:58:00.004-04:00

Updated Tuesday, 12:03 p.m. ...

Restaurant K by Alison Swope closed its doors today after less than a year.

A message from parent company McCormick & Schmick's reads: " We have been extremely pleased with - and proud of - the work and commitment that Alison Swope and her team have demonstrated during the opening and operation of Restaurant K. However, current economic conditions have led to the business decision to close this restaurant and reallocate its resources to our core McCormick & Schmick's branded establishments."

According to an updated statement from M&S released Tuesday, Swope will become part of the company's culinary development team.

Five Bites On Friday

2008-06-20T10:25:00.001-04:00

This week's edition of Five Bites comes from Taylor Giroux (at right).

1. Tacos al asador, carne asada with guacamole at Rosa Mexicano

2. Croque Monsieur with frites followed by chocolat chaud at Les Halles

3. Fried Snickers at Eamonn's, A Dublin Chipper

4. Sourdough french toast with home fries at Tallula

5. Southern fried chicken at Georgia Brown's

Five Bites is a weekly opportunity for Metrocurean readers to share the dishes and drinks they're enjoying around town. E-mail five of your favorites and whether you'd like your name and a picture included to metrocurean AT gmail DOT com.