Nibbles and Sips Around Town – Graffiti Goes Glam

Jordan Wright
September 22, 2012
Special to  www.dcmetrotheaterarts.comwww.broadwaystars.com, and www.localkicks.com

Individually numbered limited edition Hennessey’s V.S. Cognac bottle with a new Futura-designed label

Individually numbered limited edition Hennessey’s V.S. Cognac bottle with a new Futura-designed label

What is so extraordinary about legendary graffiti artist Futura, neé Leonard McGurr, is that at a mere 57 years old he has outlived so many others of his genre and generation and continued to triumph in the Paris, Tokyo and New York art worlds, where he enjoys patronage and support from leading fashion designer Agnes B. and international art critics.

A fixture on the New York City scene in the ‘70’s with the late graffiti artists Keith Haring, Dondi and Jean-Michel Basquiat with whom he shared space at the Fun Gallery, Futura has enjoyed a resurgence of appreciation for his abstract street art and can command upwards of $200K a pop for his space age surrealism.  Defined by his pioneering thin-lined style of aerosol art, now referred to as “Graffuturism”, he has been known for painting backdrops on stage during concerts with The Clash, album covers for Unkle, and designing edgy street fashion under the name of Futura Laboratories.

Earlier this week we met up at Smith Commons restaurant in the trendy Atlas neighborhood for the launch of the individually numbered limited edition Hennessey’s V.S. Cognacbottle with a new Futura-designed label.

Futura autographing

Futura autographing

Jordan Wright – What were some of your early influences?

Futura – Let me take you back to the 1964 World’s Fair and the Unisphere.  I was fourteen, and I saw a fantastic experience of what the world was going to be like.  All the New York City schools were busing kids out there to see it.  That was my first indication that we lived in a really big world.

By 1969 Neil Armstrong was landing on the moon and it was the Vietnam War.  I was going to school on the subway and seeing graffiti on the trains and I became inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.  I had read Alvin Toffler’s Future Shock and I was into sci-fi, but the seed was planted by the World’s Fair.  The future sounded promising.  We would have more advanced technology, something I have always been fascinated by.

JW – Everything was about supersonic travel and food was jet-puffed back then.

F – Oh yeah, I had to have my Tang.  That’s what the astronauts were drinking.  I felt very connected to what my perception of the future was going to be.  It wasn’t just jet packs but Dick Tracy two-way radios and face time, whatever we have in our toolbox of technology.   It was the Golden Era of that movement in New York.

JW – Who did you hang out with?

F – In 1974 I joined the Navy and was stationed on a carrier in Alameda [California].  I remember I was at the 1980 Grateful Dead show in Oakland. I had been brought out there with a crew from New York, ‘manicurists’ who were out there to ‘clip’ marijuana.  None of us had been told why we were there.  I remember the Hare Krishnas and sprouts and carrot juice.

I was running around at night and painting but it wasn’t until the 1980’s in New York when uptown and downtown came together on a social platform and the alternative galleries in the East Village began to dominate the early 1980’s art scene. It was Basquiat, Haring, Scharf, myself, Dondi, Zephyr, a veritable who’s who.  Some came from the subway school of art, some more traditional.  Basquiat, the great artist that he was, came from nothing but he was very clever.  He knew about art history and had all the answers.  He was more calculated, writing these provocative and powerful phrases, and he was very prolific too.  But it was Haring that commercialized the art.  And Andy’s big show at the MOMA had a huge impact.  But I wasn’t one of Warhol’s group.  I was homophobic back then and felt uncomfortable in the gay world.  I regret the ignorance I grew up with.

JW – Graffiti was considered unacceptable then.  People were talking about what products would facilitate its removal and what kind of machines could blast it off surfaces.  When did it begin to become an acceptable art form?

F – In the beginning of that period it was, “How did it all progress beyond where it was?” And in a sense the rudimentary graffiti that still exists anywhere you go, is made by some kid with a can or marker and some sort of rebellious energy to express themselves.  It’s unfortunate but it’s always going to remain on some lower level.  There’s nothing productive or beautiful about it.  It’s like a dog pissing on a fire hydrant.  There’s always going to be what we call a “toy”, someone at the bottom of the barrel, and then you have your masters who are more mature and know their place in the system.

When graffiti was being cleaned from trains and security was increased to prevent it, artists could no longer access subways.  Today it’s hard to paint on trains anywhere in the world from Russia and Tokyo to Sao Paulo and India.  But why did we have a decade of street art?  Because it’s the most accessible to artists.

JW – Do you still paint on the streets?

F – Oh no.  I just had an opening in New York this week at Valmorbida on Washington Street and sold a painting for $190K.  It was very large, 8 feet high by 16 feet wide.  That will help out my family a lot.  I’m in the middle of a renaissance.  It’s great.  Recently my Paris gallery bought several of my earlier paintings to get them off the market and control the market.  Now they can control the inventory and offer new work too.  I’m happy to see a great price for my work at auction.  It’s a secondary market that the galleries use to sell my new work.

JW – How do we encourage younger artists coming up?

F – I’ve always told younger artists to first and foremost have a sense of humor.   Don’t allow others to dictate what your process or vision is.  It’s uniquely yours.  Today there are more artists then ever.  Back then you had to think on your feet and be creative.  I see our society as seventy percent lazy.  Nowadays artists don’t have to paint illegally.  They can just ask a business to do a mural on their walls.  There are ways to do public works today.  So artists need to be more entrepreneurial, take advantage, be more forward thinking – not wait for the opportunity to come to them.

JW – What’s next for you?

F – I’ll be continuing my tour with Hennessey.  We started in August going to cities throughout the US.  Now we head to London, Paris and Tokyo.  In 2014 I have a proper Rizzoli book coming out.  I had a book in 2000 that sold out.  I tried to buy a new copy online and it’s now selling for $500.  Prior to myself Hennessey co-branded with artist KAWS.  I’ll be doing a show in Tokyo next June and of course I’m still making work in my Brooklyn studio.

Interview with Futura conducted, condensed and edited by Jordan Wright.

Futura Artist at interview with Jordan Wright

Futura Artist at interview with Jordan Wright

Nibbles and Sips Around Town – Kraut Rocks Competition Brings Cool Cabbage Vibe to DC

Jordan Wright
September 19th, 2012
Special to  www.dcmetrotheaterarts.comwww.broadwaystars.com, and www.localkicks.com  

Top Chef Alumni Spike Mendelsohn Hosts Kraut Rocks Competition

Top Chef Alumni Spike Mendelsohn Hosts Kraut Rocks Competition

Kraut Rocks is the hipster appellation promoters have conferred upon a sauerkraut competition involving five of DC area leading chefs.  Steered by Bravo’s Top Chef alumni Spike Mendelsohn, the contest is sponsored by Great Lakes Kraut (GLK), a century-old company and largest producer of sauerkraut in the world.  GLK is the maker of the KRRRRISP Kraut, as well as the Bavarian style Silver Floss Sauerkraut that boasts a hint of caraway and Courtland Valley, an organic kraut with healthful probiotic benefits.

It’s an intriguing concept from a company looking to introduce the region’s younger generation to the wonders of sauerkraut.  Revered in France, Eastern Europe and throughout the Slavic states, the fermented cabbage has yet to enjoy the same hoopla in our area. (N.B. Costco has recently ceased offering it with its in-store hotdogs.)

Before refrigeration pickled and fermented vegetables were in every family larder and rows of glistening Mason jars contained the jewels of the growing season providing nutritious eating throughout Northern winters as well as an appealingly tart accompaniment for Southerners when it was too dang hot to cook.

Kraut Rocks puts the classic ingredient into the hands of edgy chefs like Teddy Folkman of Granville Moore, Fabrice Reymond of Redline GastroLounge, Ian Reeves of The Queen Vic British Pub, Ryan Wheeler of Virtue Feed & Grain and Erik Bruner-Yang of Toki Underground, and that’s where the transformation from age-old condiment to trendy ingredient takes shape.

Throughout the month of September voters choose their favorite dish online at KrautRocks.com.  Dishes can order the dishes at all four restaurants and a $250 restaurant gift certificate to the winning chef’s restaurant will be awarded as a grand prize in the Kraut Rocks Online Sweepstakes, second grand prize winner scores a $250 gift certificate to one of Mendelsohn’s multiple restaurants.  In addition there are five first prizes of Kraut Rocks restaurant gift certificates, merchandise and exclusive access to special events hosted by Kraut Rocks’ chefs.

Whisk and Quill spoke to Spike Mendelsohn and some of the chefs this week.

Jordan Wright – Where did you get the idea to do Kraut Rocks?

SM – It was Krispy Kraut and I was honored to team up with them.  They approached me after reading about stuff I’d done with kraut.

JW – Has it been done anywhere before?

SM – Nope!  It’s the first time ever in the company’s history.  They were debating which city to host it in and settled on DC because the food scene here is growing at a very fast rate.  They are trying to take the fear out of fermentation, the process also used to make beer and pizza dough.  The idea is to make kraut more fun and creative.

JW – How did you select the chefs involved and what does each one bring to the table so to speak?

SM – I’m a DC chef now and have been following the food scene here.  I wanted chefs whose careers were born here and also tried to choose from different neighborhoods like Chinatown and Alexandria.   Ultimately the company chose the chefs they wanted to participate.

JW – Is Mike Isabella in on this?

SM – Mike helped judge.  But it’s the consumers that choose the winning dish.

JW – What were the rules in regards to ingredients, technique and final product?

No rules at all!

JW – Have you ever heard about sauerkraut being used in a chocolate cake?

SM – Yes, we talked about it but I’ve never tried it.

JW – Would you say these are dishes easily made by the home cook?

SM – Definitely all the dishes that were presented could be done at home.  It’s one of the things the chefs kept in mind.

JW – Are they currently being served in their respective restaurants?

SM – Yes, all the dishes can be ordered throughout the month of September.

JW – Can you talk about your early experiences with pickling and kraut?

SM – When I did my formal training in the South of France there’s a dish there called choucroute, which I used to prepare when I was at Cirque in NYC.  It’s very wholesome and very delicious.  It’s one of my favorites.  Oh, and I love to snack on kimchee.

JW – Why was DC selected for the competition?

SM – They chose markets that weren’t big to get new people turned on to kraut and raise awareness.  It’s been one of the most enjoyable campaigns to work on highlighting DC chefs.

JW – What’s next for you?

SMThe Good Stuff Eatery expansion continues, as well as Life After Top Chef a show that follows my family and me around.  It’ll debut in October.  I’ll be on an upcoming Iron Chef and I have a new steak frites restaurant called Bearnaise opening up on Capital Hill.

Executive Chef Ian Reeves of The Queen Vic British Pub

Executive Chef Ian Reeves of The Queen Vic British Pub

Ian Reeves, one of the contestants and Executive Chef of The Queen Vic British Pub on H Street in the newly revitalized Atlas District spoke to Whisk and Quill.

JW – Have you ever been in a single product competition before?

IR – No, but it’s been a good experience and well received.

JW – Do you use sauerkraut regularly in the Queen Vic?

IR – We’ve had it on the menu before but we normally make our own.  I do like using this product though.  It’s a fine shred.

JW– How did you come up with your dish that so far is the top pick?

IR – I just thought of using it as the star of the dish and combining it with pork and apples.  I’m using the Red Delicious, which are in season now in Virginia.

Pork Loin with Sauerkraut and Apples

Pork Loin with Sauerkraut and Apples

JW – What are your earliest experiences with kraut?

IR – My first experience was in Munich about three years ago.  I was there for a wedding and had it at a bierhaus.

JW – Do you rinse or soak it first?

IR – I squeezed some of the liquid off since I was doing some caramelizing in the pan.  But not usually if it’s a good product such as this is.

JW – Have guests been ordering this dish?

IR – Absolutely it’s been quite popular.  I’ve already gone through half of the thirty pounds I requested while using about six ounces per plate.

JW – Would you say it’s brought new customers into your restaurant?

IR– There are definitely new faces ordering this dish.

Executive Chef Ryan Wheeler of Virtue Feed & Grain

Executive Chef Ryan Wheeler of Virtue Feed & Grain

Ryan Wheeler is the Executive Chef of Virtue Feed & Grain and trained under Cahal Armstrong, celebrated Irish chef and owner of Virtue and Restaurant Eve.

JW – Is sauerkraut something you serve at Virtue?

RW – Typically we make our own in house and serve it with a Polish style sausage.

JW – What was the inspiration for your dish?

RW– When I signed on I wanted to do something that embodies what we do at Virtue – something out of the box.  So I made Scotch eggs and put sauerkraut inside.

Scotch Eggs with Sauerkraut

Scotch Eggs with Sauerkraut

JW – What are your earliest memories of kraut?

RW – As a kid my parents would have it in the fall as an Oktoberfest meal.  That was my first exposure and so I’ve had it with schnitzel and spaetzle.

JW – Do you rinse or soak it first?

RW – No.  I enjoy the taste of brine and the good taste from the salt.  Though we do braise it here, which softens it up a bit.

JW – Do you find guests are ordering this dish?

RW – As a special, yes!  We’ve sold about 120 eggs so far averaging about 15 a day.

JW – How have you introduced diners to the competition?

RW – We do a good job of promoting it with table tents and menu inserts with the Kraut Rocks logo.  The whole team has been involved.  It’s been good fun and I’ve enjoyed the process.  I would encourage new chefs to get involved with challenging competitions like this.  We plan to put the Scotch eggs on our menu even after the competition is over.

To vote for your favorite sauerkraut dish, watch videos of the ongoing competition, and get all the recipes to prepare at home, go to www.Krautrocks.com.

Nibbles and Sips Around Town – Bistro Vivant Channels Toulouse-Lautrec

Jordan Wright
September 4th, 2012
Special to  www.dcmetrotheaterarts.comwww.broadwaystars.com, and www.localkicks.com

Bistro Vivant's daily specials - photo credit Jordan Wright

Bistro Vivant’s daily specials – photo credit Jordan Wright

Destination McLean, Virginia

With umpteen restaurants opening in the DC Metro area of late one might be reluctant to venture to the outlying burbs.  But I assure you this 25-minute hop from the center of town to this destination restaurant is worth the drive.  Tooling up the GW parkway and basking in the seasonal panorama is part of the adventure.  You might stop along the way at Roosevelt Island and stroll the paths on a crisp fall day or catch a stay-in-your-car view from a Potomac River overlook.  Peer down the cliffs and you might spot a Great Blue Heron eyeing his supper or catch a glimpse of Georgetown University’s scullers rowing to the cadence of the coxswain’s call.

Bistro Vivantis the perfect and rare combination of delicious food, knowledgeable service and charming ambiance.  That it is housed in a former BBQ joint in a lackluster strip mall is quickly forgotten as soon as you enter.  Here’s a place that gets the details right and has a well-heeled clientele who appreciates the effort.

Bistro Vivant's Co-owner and sommelier Aykan Demiroglu - photo credit Jordan Wright

Bistro Vivant’s Co-owner and sommelier Aykan Demiroglu – photo credit Jordan Wright

Owned by Domenico Cornacchia, who is also the Executive Chef, and Aykan Demiroglu, the four month-old bistro is reminiscent of a Montparnassian retreat orchestrated by Toulouse-Lautrec himself.  At the end of the long granite-topped bar sits an ice-filled silver bowl where bottles of champagne await and mason jars of fresh fruit and vegetable garnishes stand single file.  Bottles of wine are stacked to the ceiling and bentwood stools cozy up to high-top tables alongside the 22-seat bar.

The sunny space succeeds with a refreshing absence of pretense.  Dark wood accents, creamy walls and a tiled floor convey a no-nonsense we-are-all-about-the-food-and-wine message, leaving the distinct sense that no trendy restaurant designer had a hand in the décor.  Rather it feels effortless and familiar – as if Paris were your usual stomping ground.  Open and airy with windows lining the room, the focus is a giant blackboard scribbled with the day’s specials, an ever-changing selection of classic French bistro “soul” food.

Escargots en cocotte - photo credit Jordan Wright

Escargots en cocotte – photo credit Jordan Wright

Poached lobster with two sauces - photo credit Jordan Wright

Poached lobster with two sauces – photo credit Jordan Wright

New Zealand cockles with chorizo - photo credit Jordan Wright

New Zealand cockles with chorizo – photo credit Jordan Wright

 

On a recent evening Demiroglu sprinted from bar to dining room in this lively place checking on patrons’ dishes and pouring wines. “Here try this one,” he says, offering a Pouilly Fumé.  “I think this will go best with your lobster.  Not to your taste?  Okay, try this.  It’s from a very small French winery, no one else carries it in the US,” the Turkish-born sommelier urges, pouring an estate grown Chablis, this one right on point.

Bistro Vivant’s wine program is exceptional for any restaurant.  Wines are offered by the bottle, carafe, half carafe and glass and are ninety percent French sourced.  “We seek out small boutique wineries in France,” he beamed, “They’re just not found in area restaurants or stores.”  Daily menu specials suggest pairings but Demiroglu seems happy to accommodate individual tastes.

Each Sunday he haunts the Dupont Circle Market to select produce from local farmers and twice a week much of the restaurant’s seafood is flown in from the Mediterranean.  Briny New Zealand cockles, spiked with chorizo and bathed in a light saffron broth, are spicy and delicious as are the shelled escargot served en cocotte in a sauce of butter, wine, roasted garlic cloves and herbs.  Swoon-worthy is the whole poached lobster with fava beans, baby fennel and heirloom tomatoes atop two dazzling sauces – one of carrot ginger, the other a basil pistou.

Recently a posh burger has joined the ranks.  Eponymously called the Pat LaFrieda Burger, after the New York butcher to renowned chefs such as Mario Batali, Danny Meyer and Laurent Tourondel, the custom made seven-ounce patty is made from Black Angus beef, chopped not ground, and boasts two parts chuck, one part brisket and one part boneless short ribs.  The juicy wonder comes with Niçoise olive tapenade, grilled tomatoes, vinegar-spiked grilled onions and aged Comté cheese on a brioche bun.

Reservations are highly recommended.  On the weeknight we dined several disappointed diners had to be turned away.  Call 703 356-1700 and visit www.BistroVivant.com for further information.

Southern Skillet Vinegars

Southern Skillet Vinegars

Praise For Fruity Wine Vinegars 

I’ve been trying to compartmentalize.  Work some/play some segments dictated by weather and deadlines.  At home healthful meals are prepared quickly with ingredients able to last a few days between catch-as-catch-can shopping.  With heirloom tomatoes at their juiciest and pickling cucumbers at their crunchiest, a nutritious meal can be ready in a jiff.  Just add some crumbled goat feta, radish slices, drizzle with EVOO and lightly sprinkle Satsuma Wine Vinegar from Southern Skillet over all.  Fresh greens or arugula form a green nest packed with vitamins and chlorophyll.  Pack in some protein with cooked chicken, seared scallops, shrimp, lobster (if you’re feeling flush) or a lightly boiled egg.  Fresh herbs from the windowsill are quickly snipped in.

I discovered these delicate vinegars earlier this year at the Fancy Food Show and have been slipping in a dash or two in lieu of lemon juice.  If you like white wine or champagne vinegar you will love these for their subtle flavorings and adaptability.

The Alabama-based company also makes five other wine vinegars.  Red and White Muscadine, Sugar Cane, Tomato and Blueberry.  The Sugar Cane Wine Vinegar goes nicely with bacon-wrapped quail; the Blueberry lends itself to enhancing fruits and the White Muscadine cheers up a béarnaise sauce.  Try the Tomato to add a unique dimension to andouille gumbo and tomato gravy.  You get the idea.

Here’s a recipe using the Tomato Wine Vinegar from Southern Skillet Chef Amos Watts of Jax Fish House in Denver.  It even uses our local Rappahannock River Oysters!

Gazpacho Mignonette

3 tomatoes
1/2 cucumber
1/3 red onion
3 cloves garlic
4 sprigs cilantro
1 sprig basil
1 bottle Southern Skillet Tomato Wine Vinegar
3 Tbsp. sherry vinegar
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 tsp. salt

Puree all ingredients in a blender and let sit in the refrigerator overnight.  Strain through fine cheesecloth or a coffee filter.

Then add ¼ cup chopped shallots
1 Tbsp. coarsely crushed pepper
1 bunch cilantro, chopped

Use on top of freshly shucked Rappahanock oysters or as a sauce for fish or steak.

These unique vinegars haven’t hit the stores yet, but you can find them on Amazon.

NIBBLES AND SIPS – The Occidental, Forever Young

Jordan Wright
August 16, 2012
Special to  www.dcmetrotheaterarts.comwww.broadwaystars.com, and www.localkicks.com  

Occidental Grill and Seafood Executive Chef Rodney Scruggs. Photo by Jordan Wright.

Occidental Grill and Seafood Executive Chef Rodney Scruggs. Photo by Jordan Wright.

The Occidental, Forever Young

In the shadow of the White House a special watering hole welcomes celebrities, power brokers and out-of-towners in equal measure.  The Occidental Grill and Seafood situated beside the Willard Hotel continues its reputation as a swank establishment where legions of notable devotees have long gathered to drink, dine, swap State secrets, and make policy.  That it continues to attract both the well-heeled and influential for over one hundred years is a tribute to its reverence for fine food and superb service.  But what’s more impressive is, though it boasts a clientele of famous politicians and a roster of international scene-stealers, The Occidental has kept pace with the contemporary food scene.  It’s one DC spot that doesn’t rest on its considerably august laurels but continues to forge ahead with innovative American cuisine.

Executive Chef Rodney Scruggs has been steering the kitchen’s progress over the past seven years buying locally as much as he can and delivering the kind of elegant dishes his guests expect.  Oysters hail from War Shore Oysters and sustainable seafood is delivered six days a week from Prime Seafood.  On a recent visit he beamed like a proud papa over a tray of biodynamically-raised heirloom tomatoes from Virginia’s Whipple Farms and patiently explained how Molly Visosky’s famers co-op, The Fresh Link a system that links farms, food artisans and farmers markets, provides the restaurant with the best local produce farmers have to offer on any given week.   The spectacular steaks the Occidental is known for are from Rosetta Farms in Baltimore County who supply Scruggs with top quality naturally raised meat.

Matt Baker. Photo courtesy of The Washington Loyalist

Matt Baker. Photo courtesy of The Washington Loyalist

The recent hire of Chef de Cuisine Matt Baker ups the game with his edgy twist to food styling and concept.  Also new is Mixologist/Sommelier Jo-Jo Valenzuelawho is quite literally stirring things up with craft sodas and artisanal cocktails, plucking sprigs from the hotel’s herb garden and hunting down exotic spices, to create infused liquors and bring a fresh creative approach to the overall program.

Lobster roll with fennel at the Occidental. Photo by Jordan Wright.

Lobster roll with fennel at the Occidental. Photo by Jordan Wright.

Last week over Maryland lump crab cakes, yellow fin tuna burgers and lobster rolls with fresh fennel, and pleasantly ensconced beneath hundreds of framed photographs of the restaurant’s legendary clientele, tales of the town were swapped with a convivial group that included Metropolitan Opera star Alessandra Marc, über-defense lawyer and former DC Baseball Commissioner, Marc Tuohey III, National Theatre’s Executive Director Tom Lee, and Sean Graystone who currently oversees the restoration of the magnificent Temple of the Scottish Rite one of DC’s most iconic historic buildings.

As we talked our indoor table looked out over the pretty patio with its royal blue umbrellas and cast iron jardinères and window boxes spilling over with herbs and bright pink flowers reminiscent of a sidewalk café along the Champs Élysées.  You could almost sense the city’s original designer, Pierre L’Enfant, smiling down in approval, his vision realized and still very much alive.

Summer is Peachy Keen at Station 4 

The sleek interior of Station 4 is a fitting stage for the playful cuisine of Executive Chef Orlando Amaro.  Decor is a mix of campy chic and studied casualness with lipstick red button tuck leather banquettes, honey-toned pearlized leather chairs and shaded chandeliers.  The space is large and lively, with a bar that runs the length of the room and the tables are well spaced, affording easy conversation.  On summer evenings opt for the outdoor patio separated from the street by a pathway lined with rosebushes and shaded by white umbrellas.

Executive Chef Orlando Amaro of Station 4. Photo by Jordan Wright

Executive Chef Orlando Amaro of Station 4. Photo by Jordan Wright

In honor of National Peach Month Amaro has embraced the summer fruit, giving it a supporting role in any number of dishes.  Raw oysters become a cradle for a sweet tart peach mignonette; watercress is the underlying base for a piquant salad with blue cheese and pecans toasted with oregano and cayenne; and seared foie gras meets lightly charred peaches.  Of particular note recently was an appetizer of watermelon topped with lump crabmeat, halved yellow grape tomatoes and speckles of dehydrated Kalamata olives – an alluring partner to a glass of Schramsberg Brut Rosé.

Appetizer of watermelon topped with crab at Station 4. Photo by Jordan Wright.

Appetizer of watermelon topped with crab at Station 4. Photo by Jordan Wright.

Most conveniently Station 4 is located across the street from the Waterfront Metro Station, next door to Arena Stage, and walking distance from Nationals Park making it a terrific gathering place before or after a boffo show or a winning season Nationals game.  Check with the restaurant for Nats ticket promos.
 

Piaf Would Love This Place 

Chicken with mushrooms and summer vegetables at Bistrot Lafayette. Photo by Jordan Wright.

Chicken with mushrooms and summer vegetables at Bistrot Lafayette. Photo by Jordan Wright.

Along Old Town Alexandria’s well-trodden King Street is where you’ll find Bistrot Lafayette.  A cozy intimate restaurant – a little shabby, a little chic – just how the legendary French chanteuse would prefer.  Last week a memorable soupe du jour was cream of spinach served with a dollop of fresh goat cheese and a ribbon of olive oil laced with fresh herbs.  Expect to find classics like steamed mussels in white wine as well as roast leg of lamb and duck confit.  When the weather turns chilly try the beef bourguignon with a cabernet sauce, or a silken foie gras from Hudson Valley served with pears poached in a soupçon of lemon, honey and five spices.

Every weekend best friends and owners Isabelle Zorro and Marie Sinclair throw a party in their quaint two-story brownstone.  Aprés dinner those in the know head upstairs on Friday and Saturday nights to carouse with fellow songsters and Francophiles where live piano accompaniment is in full swing until the last drink is served.

Throughout the steamy month of August Bistrot Lafayette will celebrate their 10thAnniversary with champagne (Mais pourquoi pas, chéri?) offering guests a complimentary glass of French bubbly with each entrée and a full bottle for a table of four.

Cream of Spinach soup at Bistrot Lafayette. Photo by Jordan Wright.

Cream of Spinach soup at Bistrot Lafayette. Photo by Jordan Wright.

Zorro sends out, “A big thank you to our loyal clientele who have supported us for the past ten years, with many more great times to come!” To that end they are offering another special extending past Restaurant Week.  Lunch is $20 for two courses or $25 for three sans the champers.  And Mondays are far from blue with half price on all bottles of wine during dinner hours.

Vive la France!

Nibbles and Sips Around Town – Interview with Top Chef Master Marcus Samuelsson

Jordan Wright
August 7, 2012
Special to Washington Life

Top Chef Master Marcus Samuelsson at the Howard Theatre, Washington, DC - photo credit Jordan Wright

Top Chef Master Marcus Samuelsson at the Howard Theatre, Washington, DC – photo credit Jordan Wright

A child is seated on the grass in the Land of the Midnight Sun, his attention drawn downward by a clump of flowers.  They are everywhere stretching across the rolling hillside as far as the eye can see, but he is focused on collecting specific elements for a simple bouquet clutched in his tiny left hand.  A striped knit cap is pulled down tightly over his head.  He is five.  He appears curious and self-assured, methodical and intense, traits he evidences in no small measure to this day.  The scene is from a black and white photograph out of Marcus Samuelsson’s latest book, “Yes, Chef”, an autobiographical journey that opens with his earliest memories of his adoption from his native Ethiopia. 3,700 miles as the crow flies, to Sweden.

Marcus Samuelsson’s ascendancy to Top Chef Master is no fluke.  Hard work, numerous television appearances and a slew of cookbooks have shown a bright light on his skills and restaurants.  His unique path to a life in professional kitchens began when he was cut from his small town of Göteborg’s soccer club because of his slight frame.  “I sometimes think of myself more as a failed soccer player than an accomplished chef,” he admits.

For a while he knocked around a few local restaurants until landing in Switzerland where he trained under the old European hierarchical system where Larousse Gastronomique and Escoffier’s Le Guide Culinaire were the bibles of French cooking.  There he was put to the test in a brutally exhaustive regime fraught with demeaning work, withering insults from head chefs and inhumane hours.  The system offered internships to Michelin-starred restaurants where the treatment of young chefs was equally as intense.  Samuelsson not only survived, unlike many of his peers, but thrived, learning the intricacies and pitfalls of the business from the inside out and perfecting a disciplined mind that would rival that of an Eastern mystic.

Over the years and throughout his travels Samuelsson kept a diary of his food experiences carefully recording the regional dishes he learned to prepare and daydreaming about how he would do them differently when the time came to open his own restaurant – a time that would come when he could at last merge international flavors with traditional cuisine.  That day came in 2011 with the opening of Red Rooster in New York’s Harlem where he has put down roots in the city he has come to call his own.

Ambessa Teas

Ambessa Teas

Last month I sat down with him in the newly restored Howard Theatre in Washington, DC where he has created the venue’s current menu and where he was preparing to discuss and sign his latest book along with an onstage cooking demo.  He kindly brewed me a cup of Choco Nut Blend from his new line of Ambessa specialty teas he has created this year for Harney and Sons.

Jordan Wright – You say in your book that a jazz musician looks for a new kind of perfect as going “deep in the shed”.  Does that apply to you?

Marcus Samuelsson – Yes!  Well, sometimes.  For me perfection can be different things.  When I started cooking French food we were serving only about two percent of the population.  Now I find perfection in berbere [an Ethiopian spice mix] and the countryside of Ethiopia where I’ve found the smells and flavors that I didn’t know how to value earlier in my life.  Perfection can mean different things at different times in your life.

JW – You mention in your book wanting to hang out with Keith Haring and Madonna.  Who would you like to hang out with now that you haven’t yet met?

MS – It’s been planned for me to cook for Nelson Mandela and that would be really nice.  It just hasn’t worked out yet.

JW – Who are the chefs that you most admire today?

MS – My grandmother, who was not a professional but got me going, Charlie Trotter who embraced me early in my career, and I love what Alice Waters has contributed to American cooking.  Also I look up to Daniel Boulud and the so many of the unknown chefs who are not yet recognized for their craft.

JW – Are you working with any new ingredients?

MS – Well, not new.  I love discovering the ancient Ethiopian foods and presenting them to a non-Ethiopian crowd.  It’s fun to treat things a little bit differently like using the chili-like berbere with chocolate or on popcorn.

JW – Who’s been the greatest influence in your life?

MS – My mom and my dad who always gave me guidance.  My grandmother giving love and cooking, my parents for my schooling, and my Ethiopian mother who gave me the ultimate sacrifice by making sure we [Samuelsson’s sister was adopted into the same family] would survive.

JW – Your book has a powerful message to future chefs that they should be tough, detailed and methodical.  Do you think artistry ever trumps hard work?

MS – Cooking is a great craft because it’s a balance between craftsmanship, traditions, storytelling, artistry, finance and marketing.  It’s all of those things.

JW – Do you believe that people have an innate talent for cooking?

MS – I’m a firm believer that you have to work on your talent constantly.  I’m always traveling and asking myself questions.  Talent will get you in the room, but it’s not going to help if you don’t have a good work ethic and curiosity.  It’s evolution, evolution, evolution!

JW – Was the White House State Dinner for the Prime Minister of India hosted by the Obamas one of the highlights of your career?

MS – Absolutely! It was a huge honor to be a part of the team on such a big day where so much of the cooking came down to care as well as research.

JW – Let’s talk about your experience on Top Chef Masters.

MS – I learned so much from being with Susan Feniger and Jonathan Waxman, friends that I so much admire, American chefs that came from California and were part of a cuisine revolution that we didn’t have in Europe.  What’s great about the show was sitting around before the filming and listening to how they started in a truck back in the 70’s with no money.  It was very inspirational. I remember moments that were not caught on tape like when my back went out and Susur Lee was giving me a massage because I could not move.  There was such a camaraderie there that you cannot describe.

JW – Do you want to talk about the menu you’ve created for tonight?

MS – It’s really a fun menu.  I will celebrate Sweden with its gravlax, go into Harlem with the fried chicken, and then there’s a hash that features Ethiopian flavors, finishing with the chocolate pancake with roasted cherries and blueberries.  It’s comfort food and all the things that speak home to me.  I’m really excited to be here in the historic Howard Theatre and to witness the resurgence of the neighborhood.

This interview was conducted, condensed and edited by Jordan Wright.

Nibbles and Sips Around Town- July 20th

Jordan Wright
July 20, 2012
Special to  www.dcmetrotheaterarts.comwww.broadwaystars.com, and www.localkicks.com 

Love Thy Neighbor and Their Beer 

Let the tasting begin - photo credit Jordan Wright

Let the tasting begin – photo credit Jordan Wright

What’s more local than partnering with your neighbor?  For the food trucks that visit Alexandria’s Port City Brewing Company, producer and neighbor Logan’s Sausage lends kitchen space close by the Wheeler Avenue brewery.  Fun fact:  From 5 till 8pm on alternate Friday or Saturday nights The Big Cheese and Borinquen Lunch Box food trucks join the party at the brewery.  Try the Puerto Rican style Churrasco Steak Sandwich or Cuban Sandwich from Borinquen, or the Cherry Glen Chevre with lemon fig jam from The Big Cheese who sources all their cheeses from the Cowgirl Creamery.

The monster storm that knocked out power to over a million people in our area earlier this month caught many local businesses off guard.  At Alexandria’s Port City Brewing Company power was out for five days, compromising the process of some of the precision controlled beers.  But from disaster comes a story to warm the cockles of your eager brewhearts.

Founder Bill Butcher along with Head Brewmaster Jonathan Reeves had been in the process of making the last batch of Downright Pilsner when the storm hit.  “From lemons you’ve got to make lemonade,” Butcher told me.  I think he meant that in a beer way.  So while the vats’ temps had soared, fermenting the batch at a higher temperature than intended, they did a little research and found a style of beer called ‘California Common’ or ‘Steam Beer’ that ferments nicely at the higher temps.  This happy accident will be called “Derecho Common” in deference to the type of storm that brewed it.  Also called a ‘one-off’ or ‘shadow beer’, Port City will carry it along with the four other brews they are known for – Optimal Wit, a Belgian style Witbier; Essential Pale Ale, a golden beer with a fruity hop aroma; Monumental IPA, a balance between hoppy bitterness and rich malty goodness; and Porter, displaying a roasted coffee/dark chocolate character.

Spice mix for the Optimal Wit at Port City Brewing Company - photo credit Jordan Wright

Spice mix for the Optimal Wit at Port City Brewing Company – photo credit Jordan Wright

As for their drowned out July 1st “Pint Party” to celebrate the Virginia Alcoholic Beverage Control board’s new law finally allowing breweries to serve on premises, neighbors provided the borrowed electricity for the bands and lights a few days later.

In the meantime they’ve put their shoulders to the vats seven days a week for the past three weeks to get back on track after losing three weeks off their production schedule from the storm’s aftermath.  (No worries.  If you drop by all your faves are there on tap or for sale.)

During a recent tour I learned a great deal about the craft beer process, a quantum leap from the massive operation I beheld at the Guinness Storehouse last spring in Dublin.  For example they use a Robot Coupe to blend the coriander, orange peel and Grains of Paradise – an exotic combination of African peppers used in the Optimal Wit.  And that Reeves developed a machine called the ‘hop cannon’ to dry hop the beer while it rests in fermenting tanks.  In addition their beers are all date stamped and leftover grain stored in the silo in the parking lot goes to a farm in Virginia for cattle feed.  Oh, and they use the freshest local War Shore Oysters to make their Revival Stout a process that adds the oysters and their liquor to the briny brew during the boil and steep the shells in the brewing water to add mineral content.

This location is a busy spot both days and evenings with fans arriving regularly to refill growlers and enjoy tastings.  Butcher has had to add a second tasting bar, proudly telling me, “It’s a very thirsty market!”  Indeed!

For tours and hours visit www.portcitybrewing.com.  Or Go to PCBC’s Twitter, Facebook or website to keep current on daily events.

Celeb Chef Joins the Equinox Team 

Ellen Gray (center) with Executive Chef Karen Nicolas (left) and Pastry Chef Brandi Etinger (right) - photo credit Jordan Wright

Ellen Gray (center) with Executive Chef Karen Nicolas (left) and Pastry Chef Brandi Etinger (right) – photo credit Jordan Wright

Equinox’s Executive Chef Karen Nicolas could get lost behind a dough machine.  The petite chef with the gleaming brown eyes may be small in stature but her ingredient-driven cuisine is now writ large on the culinary stage.   At a summer casual party, replete with a live band, the much-adored Todd and Ellen Gray introduced Nicolas and her cuisine to the city’s food writers with the oft-hinted at but now formal announcement that she has been chosen Food & Wine’s Best New Chef of 2012.  Nicolas who is Filipino as is White House Chef Cristeta Comerford (Is this a trend?) has been keeping the secret since the magazine informed her last November.  Try keeping that under your toque.

Nicolas served up some scrumptious bites straight from her “Ode to Summer” menu. Here are a few of the items on this season’s four-course or six-course menu that offers the option of wine pairing.

Heirloom Summer Melons compressed in anise hyssop with cubanelle peppers, formaggio capra and cucumber water; Sea Salt Cured King Salmon with apricot, fennel crema, Minus 8 Ice Wine; Corn Flour Tagliatelle with Maine Lobster Velouté, summer squash and sorrel.  I could go on, but I’m delicately drooling on my keyboard as I write this.  I don’t usually mention the prices but in this case I note that they are astonishingly gentle – the four-course at $40 the six at $60.  Add on for the wine pairings.

When I asked Nicolas if she had a signature dish she appeared to ponder the question. “Not yet,” she mused.  Maybe diners will choose one for her.

I urge you to taste her imaginative dishes for yourself and weigh in when you find your favorite.  Gray has always been out in front when it came to buying fresh and local and still is.  We’ll happily afford a pass to the Maine lobstah and Alaskan King salmon.

In Just Under the Wire Saturday’s Party and Femivore Award Winners 

Eat Local First Farm-to-Street party on V Street - photo courtesy of Think Local First

Eat Local First Farm-to-Street party on V Street – photo courtesy of Think Local First

In another celebration of local farmers and restaurateurs the Eat Local First’s Farm-to-Street Saturday party is the last of a week’s worth of local food, beer, drinks and artisans events at the 1300 V Street, NW outdoor location.  Think Local First’s Executive Director Stacey Price and her dynamic team have been partying with the community for the past seven days and have one last event to offer this Saturday from 1 till 7pm.  With 40 vendors and 4 bands there’ll be plenty to enjoy.  Admission is $15.00 and includes four drink or food tickets.

The organization sponsored a Femivore award with a dinner at RIS.   The top finalists and a $1,000.00 award were Lauren Biel and Sarah Bernardi of DC Greenswhose mission is to focus on DC college students, putting them to work in school gardens throughout the city mentoring younger students to grow their own produce to “connect communities to healthy food.”

Femivore Award - photo courtesy of Think Local First

Femivore Award – photo courtesy of Think Local First

Tied for runners-up with a $500.00 award provided by Mitch Berliner of Essential Farm Markets were Kathryn Warnes and Lisa Jordan with their Taste of Place program to expand culinary tourism in Washington D.C.   The women seek to “help you experience the taste of place with hand-on farm-to-table culinary adventures, exploring local food in urban and rural environments.”

Allison Sosna with PINE and MicroGreens also came in as runner up with her innovative business model combining her experience as a restauranteur with a desire to contribute to community outreach.  Sosna hopes to, “bridge the gap between food access, food knowledge, and the joy of cooking.”  Her fast casual resto PINE sources locally and uses its resources to fund MicroGreens, a program to teach children to cook on a food stamp budget.  Berliner generously provided an equal reward to both.

Well-deserved and enterprising programs coupled with thoughtful recognition for their selfless efforts.  Now that’s what we call Olympian!